Eira and Attilica
by NoFangYou
Summary: When everything around you isn't real, what do you do? Okay, so this isn't exactly crossover, but it was the only one that kind of made sense, since it is really kind of a BuffyDracula thing.
1. Table of Contents

Eira and Attilica

Table of Contents

Part One: Out of the Ordinary and Tiaren

Chapter 1 Sleeping, A Meeting, and Astral Projection Page 1

Chapter 2 A Weredog, The Royal Family, and A Prisoner Page 8

Chapter 3 Scrying, Prying, and Action Page 14

Chapter 4 A Fight, A Bite, and Mutual Attraction Page 22

Chapter 5 Good News, Bad News, and A Curse Page 29

Chapter 6 Nymphs, Elves, and Angels Page 37

Chapter 7 Fairies, A Drink, and Vampires Page 43

Chapter 8 Ghosts, Unicorns, and Aleiansha Page 50

Chapter 9 Poisons, Queens, and A Sweet Sixteen Page 57

Chapter 10 Coronation, Celebration, and A Big Mess-up Page 64

Part 2: Out of Attilica

Chapter 11 A Birth, A Flower, and New Relationships Page 69

Chapter 12 Confession, Reflection, and A Shocking Discovery Page 73

Chapter 13 Questions, Answers, and Tracking Page 80

Chapter 14 Babysitting, Removal, and a Severe Crisis Page 86

Chapter 15 The Witch, The Snitch, and The Father Page 90

Chapter 16 Roses, Boxes and Shopping Page 103

Chapter 17 Problems, Solutions and a Few Misdemeanors Page 114

Chapter 18 Planning, Plotting and Rocky Road Page 120

Chapter 19 Christmas, Presents and Yet Another Attack Page 133

Chapter 20 The Wedding, The News, and The Barrier Page 145


	2. Chapter 1

Eira and Attilica

Chapter 1

Sleeping, a Meeting and Astral Projection

Eira

As I sat in class that day in January, I looked back to my best friend and only half listened to the teacher as he talked of the monsters on the other side of the town that I lived in. Today was the only day of the year that humans were allowed to cross the barrier that kept the werewolves, vampires, dragons, oracles, warlocks, demons and other monstrosities that live in what is called Attilica. Therefore, the teachers must teach a lesson on the dangers of crossing the barrier. The only reason that humans do cross the barriers was for family members that had been bitten the year before, or if they had business in another town. Humans were required to have a team of soldiers blah blah blah.

Teira snored loudly and woke up. I gave her a look of pity that explained it all. She rolled her eyes and faced the front with a glazed-over look, tossing her dark black hair over her shoulder. I twisted my own blonde hair as I tuned back into Mr. Kirby's lecture to not go across the barrier.

"Many monsters would not hesitate to kill or bite a young boy or girl that crosses their path. Yet, there are many good people in Attilica who would help a regular person. Many good witches, angels, and a few demons. There are even trapped humans that didn't make it back in time for the sundown deadline when the barrier seals itself. They are probably dead or even worse by now, but the smart ones survive. If you are ever caught in Attilica, look for one of them. They would help you to survive and may keep you alive until the next year."

Still not paying complete attention, I looked at the clock to see how much longer that I have to suffer in silence in my History of Magic class. Luckily, I only had twenty minutes before I could run over to my next class, Health and Magic Class, which teaches you how to harness the magic that all teenagers at Naminera High School. I, along with all the other gifted teens, wanted only to fit in, if not for the golden rose that is at birth embedded visibly into our heads. It is a blessing and a curse. No Naminera student is mugged or killed or even jumped out of fear of their powers, which are unique for each person. We also aren't allowed in certain areas of the city, certain shops, certain parks.

It makes all students live in fear of the surrounding area. We cannot live safely in Tiaren. Not without looking over our shoulders all the time. This is one of the usual things that Teira and I talk about when walking down the street three blocks from our dorm. The stares can be ignored, but the looks of fear on children's faces are what cause us to rarely venture out of campus. A snore from the back of the room told me that my friend had fallen back to sleep. Considering that we had heard this same lecture every year since kindergarten might have something to do with why she is so tired. The party last night might also have been a benefactor. My other best friend, Javar, throws the best parties.

I look over at him and I see that he is as dead to the world as Teira, though thankfully, not asleep. He looks at me and motions to Teira and the bright blue wall behind her and magically writes "this class is so boring. Don't they know they teach this stuff every year?" in what seemed to be black ink on the wall. I look at the teacher and look back at him in envy. He had already learned the two eyes only spell, having been held back for blowing up the boy's dorm last year. He says that he didn't try it, but I really don't believe him and neither does Teira. Javar and Teira have been going out for about nine months now and they have been normal. Not lovey like the teens you see hanging all over each other in the gardens out back. It might just be the spring air.

The bell finally rings and Teira is out like a flash. Literally. She has the power of hyper speed, or running faster than light can travel. She really wanted to get out of History class. I just rolled my eyes and walked out of class and into the hall.

"Eira!"

I turned around to look at who had called me and saw the last person I wanted to see. It was Teira's cousin Tetra, the human girl magnet. I turned back around and cursed Teira under my breath for running away when we both had heard rumors that Tetra was looking for me and asking all my friends about me. Having the power of freezing time and people, he just stopped me mid-stride and caught up. I tried to move a locker into his path, but my hands were frozen to my binder. He unfroze me and I was tempted to hurt him somehow. Telekinesis wouldn't help me now, but maybe astral projection would. I projected myself to Teira and told her to go back to the hall outside history and save me. She groaned and I returned to my physical self. I was shocked to find myself in Tetra's arms. I must have collapsed when I projected. I loosened myself from his arms just as Teira came running back. I gave her a look that should have killed her when Javar warped in. He put one arm around Teira and gave me a questioning look. I answered with a look that told him every one of my feelings. He teleported all of us to health and magic, but gave me enough time to see the hurt look on Tetra's face as we disappeared.

We got to health and magic in time for me to smack Teira for running away and see that we were beginning to learn how to freeze things with our minds. Not time freezing, but ice freezing, as in the cold kind. I gave a single look over to my pyromaniac friend, Hiro, and saw a shiver run through his body. I gave him a sympathetic look as I dropped my binder on the small brown desk and sat down in the attached chair. Teira plopped down next to me and Javar behind her. I looked back in time to catch Tetra and his usual crowd of girls enter the room. I caught his eye and looked away as my face flushed. Why did he do this to me? I turned to face the board as a note flew onto my desk. This was the usual communication in the classroom for those of us that don't know the two eyes only spell that allowed only one or two people see a message. Handy for spies, secret messages, and teenage friends that are bored in class. I opened the note and it stopped moving immediately. Well-cast, I complimented whoever had written the note in my thoughts. Most fliers were still moving after the person had opened the note. I never needed to learn this spell as my telekinetic powers helped me to levitate the note. I looked at the note briefly as Mrs. Hyarisna walked into the room. Teira and I shared a secret laugh as we looked at yet another of her eccentric outfits. This one was entirely green, with real leaves growing from the sleeves and from her hair. It reminded me of the time that I had fallen into the ferns outside our dorm sneaking out the window to my boyfriend at the time. I had slipped off the window sill and had grabbed a vine. I still got plants in my hair, giving it the same look as it did on the top of Mrs. Hyarisna's head. Mine was unintentional, but you could tell that she had spent hours convincing the vines to grow in her hair like that. Hiro had covered his mouth to hide the chuckles coming from inside. His ears turned red with effort and I almost laughed at the sight. His brown hair had begun to turn red around the edges. I looked on in amazement as his hair lit on fire with his powers. He just put his hair out and the brown hair resumed its normal color. Turning my attention back to the note, I read silently as the teacher began talking. _Will you meet me in the Isis garden_ _at nine o'clock tonight underneath the willow trees that_ _Javar, Teira, and Tetra blew up two weeks ago? I found something that I think will interest you._ _Dress comfortably but for something that will most likely be of great physical strain. Pack a backpack with food, water, a cell phone, and first aid kit. Hiro will lead you to me._

Strangely, therewas no signature, although I could eliminate Teira, Hiro, Javar, and possibly Tetra. The Isis Garden is a pleasure garden. This just leads me to suspect Tetramore. Still, the mystery is appealing to my curiosity. I decided that I was going to go to this place and meet this person. I knew that it was someone in my class, because you can't send a flier out of the room, or it would drop. None of the kids in my class seem to be guilty and none are looking at me. It must be someone that Hiro gets along with if he knows what the note means. Again, the leads to Tetra, one of the limited crowd that don't set Hiro aflame just for talking to him. Why pack a survival kit and dress like an army brat? So I guess that I'll just have to find out who it is and why by going off to the Isis Garden. I set it up with Hiro to meet him at the front of the school at 8:45 to go to the willows, and turned my attention back to the front of the class where Javar had written a two eyes only spell asking what the note said. I mouthed to him that I'd tell him later and tuned into the teacher.

" The key to freezing the things around you is that the atmosphere around you contains water. If there is water around you then there is a chance to freeze the water. If you can direct the ice to the place that you want to freeze, than it will coat the object of an objection with a layer of ice. First, You concentrate on the air around you and feel the moisture seep into your skin. Clear your mind and concentrate. Then, you simply concentrate on the person that you want to freeze. This works on inanimate objects as well as organic."

I concentrated and to my surprise felt the moisture that she was going on and on about. I concentrated on the pencil in front of me and heard a yelp from in front of me. I broke the concentration and looked as to whom the yelp belonged to. In front of my face was a large ball of earth but I couldn't see the person who was beginning to throw it, but I recognized the power. Yuina was a flower child. She controlled all that is earth. She is one of the only people that people actually fear. Not because she is scary, but because she has a lot of power and can use all of it anywhere. She's actually really nice. I moved the ball from out of her hand without touching it, because I saw an earthworm coming out of it. When she realized that it was an accident and that it was I that had done it, she calmed down and had Hiro thaw out her shoulder. I apologized and told her that I wouldn't do it again. She sat back down but gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the day.

╼§╾

I sat down on the chair in my dorm after spending about four hours deciding on what to wear and what to put in my backpack. After deciding to wear black khakis and a light pink halter with the most sturdy pair of shoes that I have, I set off to the large black gate that marked the borders of the school. There I met Hiro and we set off into the Isis Garden mentioned in the note. As Hiro led me deeper and deeper into the garden with no willows in sight, I began to get suspicious of what the note had said. Who had sent it, why me, and where were we going? All these questions would have to wait, as Hiro came to a sudden stop and I rammed into him hard, nearly twisting my ankle in the process. There, on a large boulder, sat Tetra. "You! But why did you put yourself in the third person in your note? Where are we, and what did you want to show me?"

"You ask a lot of questions for someone as smart as I know that you are. Were you not the only person to freeze anything today in class?"

"Yes, but I hit Yuina and I was aiming for my pencil. Again, what did you want to show me? And why me?"

" I chose you because of what I see in your future. I chose you because of what power that you possess that you have yet to even unlock. I chose you because I'm attracted to you, and you are the only girl in school besides my cousin that refuses to even let me get close to them. I chose you because what I found will unlock your destiny. I chose you because I found your inner you."

Okay then, creepy much. What did he find that was so all-fire important that I had to come down after hours. Not that there's a curfew or anything, just we were advised to stay indoors after sunset tonight when the monsters can get through the barrier that no one seems to know where it is. So I walk up to the boulder, blonde as I am, and looked him right in the blue eyes and blonde hair that mirrored my own. He looked surprised for about a minute and then took me by the hand into the darkness and the hollowness in the very heart of the Isis Garden. Little did I know that he was leading me right into hell and Attilica.

Okay, so this is the first chappie in the book that I'm writing, and I'm going to try to write on request, so please review if you want to read more! Flaming is for marshmallows, and only for marshmallows, so keep it nice. Also, what do you think about the title? Any suggestions?


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! They are much appreciated!

Chapter 2

A Weredog, the Royal Family, and a Prisoner

Eira

As we walked out of the darkness, I took a look around me in amazement at the new area. There were no trees in sight anymore, but rather castles surrounded them, haunting the horizon. I looked at Tetra skeptically, and surveyed my surroundings. So far there were no signs of life anywhere. No bugs, no birds, not even a snake. Tetra didn't even seem fazed by the strange surroundings. He even seemed to enjoy the castles that made up a beautiful but creepy landscape. We walked for about another forty yards, without Hiro in sight. I shrugged it off, and just gazed forward to the nearest castle.

As we got nearer and nearer to the castle, we saw more and more life. As we finally got to the castle, a woman dressed entirely in what seemed to be velvet came out to meet us. Behind her was a little boy with strangely long gray hair. When we approached she began walking to meet us. She enveloped Tetra in a hug and turned to face me. "My name is Ishiomara and this is my brother, the werepomeranian, Zamora. I am queen of this castle along with my brother, Zagora. Tetra, dear, is this the friend that you told me about, the one that you have a suspicion is the chosen one? We would be happy to have you stay with us for a while. The full moon is tomorrow, so Zamora will be back to his normal self."

"Isn't he already?" I said, speaking for the first time since walking through the darkness. "I mean, he's human now, isn't he?"

"He's a werepomeranian, which means that he is normally a Pomeranian. It's hard to see him suffer like this, but at least he can talk to us in human form. Even though normally it comes out in short barks or growl-like sounds."

Not knowing how to respond to the werepomeranian's plight, I just shut my mouth and took in the strange new information. Zamora came up and stood by my side to the amazement of his sister. "Zamora doesn't warm up immediately to anyone. You must be someone very special to have Zamora cuddles up to you so quickly. He didn't even warm up to Zagora or myself that fast and we are his siblings!"

I just looked down at the poor werepomeranian and patted his head. It was the funniest thing to watch his little butt shake as though he had forgotten that he was no longer a dog.

"As we are in Attilica, there are many here that would wish to do the chosen one harm. You must stay close to Zagora, Xiomara, or myself at all times," the little dog said,"no one will harm you while you are in our company, for fear of the power that the king and queen wield. Now, where did your friend, Tetra, go, sister? Wasn't he here just a second ago?"

Looking for Tetra, I spun around and nearly fell on my face. I was too busy talking to Ishiomara and Zamora to realize that Tetra was gone. Where had he gone? "Is Tetra friends with Zagora? He may have gone there."

" Not that I know of. Zagora likes to spend all of his time in the King's quarters of the castle. I will take you to your room which is right next to the quarters. My quarters are two rooms down from yours. Tetra's room is between yours and mine. He may be there as well. He was here two months ago, when he first established that he was going to bring you here today. We have been planning this for months. I have thus prepared your room to accommodate your needs, as Tetra has provided means of monitoring you. Not your private moments, of course, but more or less what you wear, what you use, and your sense of style. You will find your rooms almost identical to the room you stay in Tiaren. They host native clothing, so that you will not stand out while on the road, but also Tiaren clothing so that you will be comfortable while you stay in what I hope you will call your home for the year that you are here. The barrier has now closed itself to Attilica. It is not so bad here, just dangerous. Do not venture out at night without Zamora, as I am sure that he would be happy to accompany you out of the castle for anything that you may need to make your stay in Attilica and Castle Slatier. Please feel welcome to venture anywhere in the castle. Zamora will make sure that you don't get lost, whether he is in his dog or human form. As a weredog, he is more intelligent than regular dogs and will understand anything that you say to him. There will be no reason to leave your room to use the rest room as there is one attached to your room. There is also a kitchen, a spa, and pool. Anything that you need will be taken care of if you simply ring the bell in your room. While you are here you are family and to avoid attack while you are here, you will be known as Princess Eira and will be free to use your powers here anytime that you want. We will also have a tutor here to help you keep up with your magic studies, as you will need them. Having been born here, to a human mother and vampire father, I do not know how the time difference is different to the way it is in Teira. You will have to find out in a years time. Prince Tetra will have to be found. As a member of the royal family, even by name only, he is a deadly weapon against us. The powers of the royal family are enhanced tenfold by our line. Tetra may have even been kidnaped by the werewolves. We have to find him. Search the palace."

I went inside to aid in the search and had all the breath knocked out of my lungs. It was all so beautiful, so peaceful. I found myself actually wishing that my friends were here to see this. Teira and Javar would be in danger here, though. I would feel really bad if something happened to them while they were here. If werewolves had gotten a hold of them, I would never forgive myself. So I just searched every single beautiful inch of the marvelous palace. Yet, Tetra was nowhere to be found. Finally, after about four hours, we gave up and settled into our rooms shortly after sun down. We deduced that if Tetra didn't come back by sunrise tomorrow, we would send a search party to look for him. Unless... "Ishiomara, could I astral project to Tetra if I don't know where he is?"

" It depends. If you are connected to Tetra or have something that he owned once, than if you hold it and

astral project, it should take you right to him. If you don't than you would have to know exactly where he is."

" Would a piece of paper that he wrote on work?"

" It depends on if it was his paper or if he borrowed it from a friend."

" Would giving it a try and ending up in Tiaren make it so that I couldn't return to Attilica?"

" It shouldn't. If I does, then you just wait until next year to return to your physical body. We will take care of you. It shouldn't be too hard to make sure that you get food and water in you."

" I'll give it a try if he doesn't come back. Did someone check his rooms?"

" We were going to leave that to you. You are his friend after all."

" Not really, but I'll do it anyway. Maybe there is something there that will give me a better chance of finding him on the first try."

So I walked up to his room and looked around. There were clothes everywhere in proper teenage boy fashion. Surprisingly, except for the clothes, his room was very clean. Whether due to the maids, or natural cleanliness, it was strange. There seemed to be an eerie presence in the room that didn't seem to be Tetra. The clock in the corner was stopped with Tetra's powers, so he either came here earlier or it has been frozen for two months. If it has been, than he is very powerful. I'm not even sure that the principal, who can control the weather, could hold a spell for two months. Although there were no signs of struggle, Tetra was nowhere to be found. As I searched, a note flew down and landed down a pair of pants that had been tossed over a computer chair. As I picked it up, it continued to flap, so I knew that it wasn't Tetra's work. _Tetra is safe as long as you stay away. We have known of the chosen ones arrival for months. Even before Tetra came to Attilica, we knew that the one that would free Attilica and Tiaren from the protection of the barrier_ _was born to the world as a magical being. If we see any trace of the chosen one, we will torture Tetra until he begs for death. Being the merciful beings that we are, we, of course, will oblige. Stay away, Eira, or Tetra will die._

I decided then that I would astral project to Tetra even with the danger. As long as he isn't being watched around the clock, then I should be able to talk to him, find out who his captors are, and where he is. I just hope that the note will be enough. Getting ready to astral project, I laid down on Tetra's bed, breathing in his scent the entire time. I felt strange lying down on the bed that he had slept in for the four days that he had been gone. Ignoring that, I astral projected with the note in my hand. I found myself in a dungeon, chains attached to the walls and all. Tetra was chained in the corner, the guards around him frozen. Relieved that it worked, I ran over to Tetra. To my surprise and obviously his, I gave him a hug. He just looked at me for a while.

"How did you get here?"

"Astral projection, how else? Who brought you here? Where are we?"

"I was brought here by a group of vampires, sirens, and harpies. All women, strangely. We are in Castle Dracula, although the vampire no longer lives here. You have to get out of here, Eira. They will be coming down here soon to make sure that I'm still here. The guards will only stay frozen for a little while longer. Tell Ishiomara that the only way to break me out is to use the Jewel of...something. Aria, I think. She might be hesitant to use it but she must. The vampires, sirens, and harpies are planning to overthrow the kingdom and they want to use it to bring D–." There were footsteps coming from the dungeon stairs. "Hurry Eira, they're coming! Get out of here, but hurry back." Surprising me yet again, he swept me into a kiss, and when he let me go, there was a bold smile on his face that I wanted to wipe off of his face the fun way. I cancelled the projection and returned to my physical self to find that Ishiomara and Zamora were standing over the bed with a man that I had never seen before, but assumed that it was Zagora. I sat up and stared back at them, until they finally looked away. I sighed and repeated my brief conversation with Tetra, leaving out the hug and kiss. "Ishiomara, you were right. Tetra is locked in Castle Dracula. He says that you need to use the Jewel of Aria. Whatever that is."

" The Jewel of Aria is the only thing keeping all the humans in Attilica from becoming the monsters that we all fear. If we use it to free Tetra, it might disrupt the very fabric of existence and cause all humans to become Gerisk, or animated dead bodies. We would have to break him out with magic if we were to keep all the humans in Attilica alive. It will be difficult and dangerous, but if Tetra is to survive, we will need to do it. We will need to break him out with our combined magic. As a member of the royal family, your telekinetic powers will be ten times what they already are. Add that to your chosen one powers and you have about a thirty times multiplication total. Hopefully two witches, a wizard, and weredog, breaking him out should be easier than it would be for a normal person. We will wait until sunrise when we are all rested and ready to perform our magic perfectly. Tetra will have to wait for another eight hours. He would not want us to go into danger without being totally rested and ready to kick some serious vampire, siren and harpy butt. The only thing that worries me is the thing that Tetra mentioned last. If they wanted to overthrow the kingdom, why didn't they capture Zamora or myself? Another thing that troubles me is that they want to bring someone back. But who?"

"I don't know, but let's just pray that Tetra will be okay. I couldn't handle it if someone was hurt due to me. He just will have to be okay. If he doesn't say anything about my telekinesis, he'll be fine. He has to be."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Scrying, Prying, and Action

Eira

When I retired for the night, I found my quarters to be exactly as Ishiomara said they would be. They looked almost identical to the way that my dorm in Tiaren looks. Except, of course, for the fine jewels that were encrusted on the walls. That was most certainly a welcome, but surprising difference. All my pictures of myself with Teira, Javar, Hiro, and even Tetra were reprinted to an almost perfect recreation. The bed was almost as large as my entire dorm room, but that's not saying much. It was decked totally in my favorite colors, purple and black, and there were about thirty pillows resting on the headboard. Pillows and a nice satin cover were a great relief, as my astral projection took a great deal of my energy away. As tired as I was, I walked around my room and found all the things that the queen had said were going to be in there. The pool was a beautiful heated one, with built in lights and hot tub. I nearly cried when I saw the bathroom. The tub was built into the floor and was encased in what looked to be black marble. Along its edge were lotions and oils in all scents and colors. Shampoo and conditioner were all scented in a special blend of rose and hibiscus. The soap was coconut and shaped in a large flower. It was all very beautiful and welcome after sweating all day and worrying about the arrogant jerk that got himself kidnaped. Which brought another question to my mind. Why Tetra? If they wanted me, why not take me?

All of this was very confusing. I walked over to my bed and flopped down. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

╼§╾

That night, I dreamt of Tetra. Not romantically, but almost as if I was in Count Dracula's dungeon with him. It was like I had fallen into his eyesight. I could see him, but if he could see me, he gave no sign. He just slept, the silvery moonlight reflecting off of his blonde hair, head on the cold hard floor. I just watched and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. I put his head on my lap and just made sure that he slept as well as he could until he woke up. He stirred once or twice and I waited with bated breath to see if he would awaken to talk to me. To my disappointment, he always fell right back to sleep. Yet, still I waited, almost to see if he felt that I was there. I stroked a stray hair away from his face and nearly gasped at the contact. It was almost as if just touching his forehead had electrified me. It sent all of my senses on high alert and just plainly felt so good. Why did just being around him do this to me? Why did my breath catch in my throat whenever he said my name? Why do my fingers and lips still burn from my contact with him? Why?

He turned in his sleep and muttered a inaudible word. Suddenly, he bolted straight up and whispered so low that even I barely heard it, "Eira?"

I woke up and surveyed my surroundings for a moment before I remembered where I was. The bed felt almost too soft underneath my back as I recalled what I had seen in my dreams. Tetra looked so troubled until I had removed his head from the floor. Then, as soon as I had rested beside him, putting his head in my lap, his facial features had softened and had almost broken my heart with how peaceful he had looked. Was it from his contact with me, or just from the relief of having his head off of the cold, stone floor? These ideas battled in my head until I had almost convinced myself to astral project over there just to see him again. His boyish features replayed through my head, making him look eight instead of the fifteen that he was. A boy instead of the man that he was. I rubbed my eyes to relieve the pain of waking up so suddenly and clearing them of the unknown watering that they had done. Why was I crying? I wasn't hurt, at least not physically. There was no reason to cry. Yet, why did I feel like bawling for no reason? Remembering Xiomara's offer to talk if I needed to, I almost ran to her room, stopping first to look inside Tetra's room, just to smell his essence and the insanely powerful magic pouring out of the room. Before my hand had even hit the door into Ishiomara's room, it sprang open to reveal a very clearly sleepy queen. She motioned me inside and stepped back from the door. Everything looked about the same as in my room, except for the color scheme. Everything was in ruby and gold velvet, instead of the soft satin that adorned my room. Clearly, these were Ishiomara's favorite colors, as even her night gown was a deep blood-red with gold threading and sleeve circlets. I asked her how she had known that I was at the door.

"Premonition, my dear. It allows me to see into the future. And the fact that you were walking down the halls rather loudly may have contributed to the fact that I was quite awake when you walked to my door. Come, sit on the bed."

It was then that I got my first good look at Ishiomara. She seemed not much older than me. Her hair, black as ebony, rolled down her back as freely as waves rolling into the shore. Her eyes were the most enticing green, and her cheekbones were as high as many a women got plastic surgery just to have. In short, she could have been a successful supermodel in Tiaren. It was kind of strange to look at someone so beautiful and know that they weren't exactly human. Ishiomara had given me no sign to tell me that she was in anyway tempted to bite me. It seemed that the half blood of human that she had inside of her helped her to control the vampire half.

"So, my dear, what is wrong? You seem so upset for one so young. So troubled. Has this something to do with the capture of Tetra?"

"Actually Ishiomara..."

"Call me Mara. Everyone else does." she interrupted.

"Fine. Actually, Mara, it does. Tonight, while I was sleeping, I dreamt of Castle Dracula and of Tetra. He was sleeping, and he seemed to be restless. So I laid down beside him and put his head on my lap. Strange thing is, when I moved a lock of hair that was in his face, it felt as though I had stuck my hand in an electrical plug. I felt something like electrical currents race through my veins. What was this? Why did it happen?"

"There is a simple answer to your question. One that I think that you need to uncover for yourself. Trust me, you will know when you figure it out. I know exactly what you mean, being only seventeen myself. It happened to me. Horribly, it ended very abruptly. I hope with all my heart that this does not happen to you. I would hate to see you hurt, even for an instant, my child."

At her final two words, a shock flew through my veins. It was strange to hear someone only three years older than myself call me that. I had never known my mother. She had given me up at birth, supposedly when she first saw the golden rose that marked me as a Nagiala student. It breaks my heart every time I think of this, and, unwillingly, I burst into tears at the sound of the simple endearment. Mara held me until the racking sobs left my body and didn't even seem bothered that her sleeve was soaking wet. She simply unbuttoned it at the circlet and threw it onto her night table. She repeated it for the other sleeve then sat back down on the bed. Her skin shone in the moonlight, a pale gold almost too white to be natural. She followed my gaze and shrugged.

"Vampire blood. Good for females, just plain wrong in

guys. My heart circulates less blood through my veins, giving my skin the pale coloring. I survive, but it is only the vampire blood that makes it so. I would die if it weren't for my vampire heritage."

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be. It makes it so easy to tan in summer." She laughed. "Father wouldn't even come outside to enjoy the sun with me. He said that it would kill him, but I think that he just wanted to keep his color, as a threateningly clear message to anyone that got on his nerves."

We both laughed for a good while at this, until a little fluffy dog jumped onto the bed and snuggled into my lap.

"Zamora! You know that you aren't supposed to climb on the bed fresh after transformation! You know that you shed really badly after the full moon. You're lucky that its sunrise and I can get the maids up here, or I would hang your fluffy butt from the clothesline!"

I looked in shock at the little ball of fur in my lap. His fur was the same shade of gray that human Zamora's hair was, but I guess that was to be expected. He looked up to me with his beady, but deep little eyes and seemed to beg me to stop his sister from "hanging his fluffy butt from the clothesline" as she so imperially put it. I just gave him a hug and looked out the window in Mara's room. It was indeed sunrise, but I couldn't help staring at the horizon. I don't know if I was trying to see Tiaren or just looking at all the dragons flying gracefully through the sky in every color that you could ever dream of. It was then that I was snapped out of my daydream by Mara flopping down beside me on the bed. "Now, to continue our talk before the waterworks, I think that you really were there with Tetra. I think that you kinetic abilities are advancing and you are beginning to get a new power called scrying. Scrying is when you call out to someone or something and you sort of astral project to them. Scrying can't be controlled, and it only happens when you are asleep. You have to have been there or seen there before or it will come out white as a sheet to you. Since you astral projected, and saw Dracula's dungeon with your own eyes, that allowed you to scry to Tetra and allow yourself a peek at what he was doing. Scrying is as or more powerful than astral projection as it allows you to stay longer, since it doesn't drain your energy source."

"How do you know so much about all of this?"

"Because, my dear, scrying is one step down from premonition, and two steps down from actually moving yourself into the future. Beware the second, because if you are killed in the future, you also die in the past. But for now, enjoy, as this is a momentous occasion that should be cause for celebration. Your powers are far more advanced than mine, as I can't astral project or move things with my mind. You certainly are the chosen one. Tetra was right about you."

It was then more than ever that I wanted to sink into the floorboards and never come back up. Fortunately, breakfast was called at that very moment, and I rushed back to my room to get out of my dirty clothes from yesterday and into this really cute purple silk halter top and black miniskirt that I saw in my closet when I was examining my room last night. Freezing wasn't even an option here, as I saw nothing in that closet that wasn't my favorite type of shirt, the halter, and no sort of sweatshirt or sweat pants. Even in the middle of January, it must have been ninety degrees outside, where as it would have been some thirty degrees. It seems hard to believe that it was just yesterday that I relied on Hiro's flaming hair to keep me warm on that cold January night. So much had happened, so much had changed. It seemed hard to believe that in the course of twenty-four hours, I had become a princess, had Tetra kidnaped, and had befriended the queen of the notoriously treacherous land called Attilica, which was beautiful in every way. So much had changed, and I was ready to fight.

╼§╾

As I entered the main dining hall, the strong smell of breakfast wafted into my nostrils. It smelled so good that my mouth watered. I got a grip and entered the great hall that would serve as the dining hall. My mouth dropped. The room was huge! There was a single long table completely covered in food and place settings for four. I noticed the empty fifth chair and place setting and my heart dropped as I remembered the plight of my friend that had been temporarily pushed from my mind at the abnormally large proportions of the great hall. I sat at the seat that was, of course, marked with black and purple. Apparently, everything in this castle was based upon the recipients favorite colors. I waited and looked on longingly at the food that draped the table. I was just beginning to levitate the bacon over to myself when Mara and the man that had been standing by the bed when I had woken up, walked into the room. I was so startled at the appearance of the king and queen that the solid gold bowl that the bacon was laid in, dropped with a loud clatter back to the table. Mara began to laugh and I blushed at my bad control over my powers. Zagora simply sat down at the place setting to the left of me marked with a sapphire and gold napkin. Mara took her place at the right of him. It was almost as if the table was set as it would have been in medieval days where the king sat at the head, his queen at his right hand, and the kings trusted advisor at the left. But I couldn't be his trusted advisor. I'm not sure that I even like the guy! Having not even held a intelligent conversation with the man might help with this judgement. I just picked up the bacon again and began levitating it towards me. As at came almost to eye level, I grabbed the bowl and put three strips onto my plate. I put the bowl back into its original place. I filled up my plate with other food and the meal was eaten in complete silence. I put my plate and all its scraps on the floor for Zamora and waited for Mara and Zagora to finish eating.

When we were all full, we began to discuss plans of attack. There was great debate on whether I should reproject myself to Tetra to ask for the best escape route and entry point. This idea was shot down due to the close shave that I had with the kidnappers. This time, there may be no warning, and I might be killed, and Tetra tortured. So, after about three hours of planning, we decided to storm Dracula's castle from the sky and try to kill all the monsters we could before rescuing Tetra. It was also decided that our mode of transportation would be three dragon warriors. One, the King of the dragons, would carry both Mara and me, the lightest of the group. We thanked the dragons for their help and began to gather weapons and supplies. Finally remembering the cell phone that Tetra had wisely told me to bring, I called Teira and Javar and told them that I was alright. I left out Tetra's kidnaping to avoid any worrying on my best friends' parts. I told them I would call them tonight and hung up. Hopefully, I would still be alive to call them, with Tetra safe in his room.

Okay, so noone's reviewed so far! I hope it's more of a can't-find-you, hope-that-I-can-in-the- future kind of thing, but if it's not, I'm sorry it sucks!


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A Fight, A Bite, And Mutual Attraction

Eira

We left for Castle Dracula at around noon. The three dragon warriors arrived at around 11:45. Mara and I climbed aboard the aquamarine dragon, Zagora aboard the purple one. The green one was left open so that he would be well rested for when Tetra was coming back. Hopefully, he would be coming back. Hopefully. The sky was beautiful and blue as we cruised across the horizon. Then, when the castle was in sight, we landed about twenty yards away so that any force fields or detection satellites wouldn't attempt to shoot down the dragons. Again, I contemplated astral projecting into the dungeon, but that would jeopardize everything. So, I just tortured myself with the image of his face, and the bites in his neck. My anger suddenly flared up, for reasons that I couldn't even begin to explain. With a sudden charge of power through my body, I felt the telekinesis run through my limbs, burning the backs of my eyes. Mara shrieked and Zagora was open mouthed. I turned around and saw what they were gaping at. Apparently that charge had found a way to creatively explode and had torn down half of the castle's exterior wall. I just stared at it for a while, until people came running out. There were vampires, sirens, and harpies amongst the crowd that began to stream out of the broken wall. Mara began using something unlike what I had ever seen before. It was a long whip with three glowing prongs attached to leather strips. This too was ruby and gold, so I knew that it was hers and not her brothers. There must have been some awful wars in Attilica that Tiaren never even heard of. These poor people. They're though to be monsters in civilized society, and yet, they are probably better suited to their environment. Just then, a vampire lunged at me, fangs fully extended. I broke its neck with telekinesis. Thought too soon, I guess. After fully destroying the army at the gate, we stormed inside the castle and went to go rescue Tetra. Hopefully, these people didn't succeed in bringing back whomever they were, or we might just be toast.

As we entered the dreary grey dungeon that was holding Tetra captive, a clearly audible applause filled the air around us, choking the breath from our lungs. While we struggled to breath, a woman, draped in what must have been yards of black velvet, came strolling casually down the stairs.

"Hmm. I could have most certainly sworn that my letter would have kept away the chosen one. Apparently, you are much more stubborn and ignorant than I had thought. Possibly even stupid to have come here, where Tetra was safe, before you yourself had even come into your powers as a queen of Kerya. I must laugh at your stupidity, but applaud you all the same. Your performance at the castle wall confirmed our suspicions that you were, indeed, a astral maiden, the elite or the elite. An angel. It's really a shame that I have to kill you. You would have made a great siren. So beautiful, so young. They would have killed to have you amongst their ranks. It's a great honor that I get the privilege."

"Aww, really? I have to kill you and I don't even know the name that I will carve into your gravestone along with all your little friends. You will just have to be satisfied that I will weep over your dead body." I countered, finally regaining my breath.

"Again, hmm. You are very smart for one your age. And yet so stupid to believe that you could ever beat me, Vampira, the mother of all the vampires!!"

I just looked around the room for anything that I could throw at her. A mace hanging from the wall above Tetra's head looked promising. But right now, this would have to be hand-to-hand, as she might not yet know of my telekinetic powers. I approached her, a long sword and dagger in my hands, thrown to me by Zagora.

To my astonishment, she pulled out a wicked looking scimitar, and charged straight for me. She was really fast but, luckily, I had come in a landslide first in fighting class at Nagiala. Tetra was second, but since he is kind of chained to a wall, and unconscious, I'll forgive him for missing out on this one battle. I threw her back, and sheathed the dagger. There would be no need for it now, as she would have to be stabbed in the heart to be put to rest. Is it still dying if you are already dead? What would it be called? Vanquishing?

I pushed these questions from my head as she made a swing at my head that seemed almost desperate. It seemed that I could see every angle of her wrist, every shock wave run through her forearm, every tiny imperfection that would be her downfall. There was a light coming from her forehead that was almost too conspicuous. I allowed her to spring back and lunge forward again. She was definitely getting desperate. Either that or I was getting better. But how is this possible? Power advancements normally only happen every other year or so. Then again, I've had two in the day and a half that I've been here. So, where does that leave that theory? Almost as if it were too easy, I threw my knife across the room and struck her directly in the heart. She screamed as though burned and began to rot from the outside in until all that was left of her was her scimitar.

I rose from my one knee and nearly ran over to where Tetra was chained to the wall. He was barely breathing and it was painfully obvious that he had lost a lot of blood. Unbelievable as it was, he woke as I touched his cheek, his eyes fluttering open slowly. "Eira?"

My throat hardened as I replied, "Yes, it's me. You have to save your strength. There are three dragons waiting for us outside to fly us home. You have been trapped with these monsters for a whole night and it's about three in the afternoon now. You're safe. We're going home."

"Tiaren?"

"No, Slatier. Vampira's dead. She won't be bothering us any more. Now, hush and hold onto my waist. I'll help you get out of here."

The mention of Vampira seemed to awaken him more than anything else that I tried.

"Eira, they're trying to bring back Dracula! We need to get back to Mara and Slatier before they get the Jewel of Aria! You did have someone guard it, right?"

"Does Zamora count?"

"How did you get Zamora to do that? He wouldn't even come near me the entire two months that I stayed at Slatier."

"Let's just say that dogs love me and my nice, warm, satin bed to shed on."

Tetra laughed at this, the sound a rich, hollow sound that seemed almost as if it had come from someone else. I just enjoyed the sound as it echoed through off the high ceilings in the dungeon and seemed to cushion in my ears. As I supported him while we walked through the castle, he regained a little bit of his normal color. We talked while walking through the halls, but for the most part, it was both of us panting with the effort. Finally, we got to the main entrance to find that Ishiomara and Zagora were waiting for us. They seemed impatient to be off, and anxious to get going. It was almost as if the evil in the castle surrounded us, cutting off the blood to our bodies. A shiver ran through my back at the same time as I felt one run through Tetra's. We boarded the barely injured dragon warriors to fly back to the palace that was calling out to me with a cool bed, warm bath, and an even warmer talk with the man that was flying separately from everyone else, the man that I had just killed to save.

After I was bathed and didn't smell like a gym teacher's sweaty socks after a five mile marathon, I walked over to Tetra's room and dismissed the nurses. I sat down and he looked up at me. We continued this until both of us looked away. "Sorry that we had to leave you there for so long."

"It's really alright. It was almost as if an angel came to me last night. She lifted my head off of the floor and placed it on her warm lap. I felt instantly as if I were at peace, even if the rest of the world had decided that it was going to fight. It was at that moment that all the hardships that I had gone through had been made right. She was so warm, and soft that I knew that it didn't matter how long it took for you guys to get here, because when you did, I was going to be okay. But you already know this, don't you?"

I just looked away as my face became hot. He knew just as well as I did that I was the one that lifted his head off of the floor. I just took his hand in mine, and held on. Even though I was sore from today's battle, I just let the calm, electrical currents sweep me away, away from the pain, heartache, and sorrow of the last fifteen years. I just concentrated all my energy into maintaining that simple touch that meant absolutely nothing in the real world, but everything to me.

We fell asleep talking just like that, hand in hand. We had talked for hours about nothing, and about everything at the same time. It was just then that I knew what Mara had meant when she had said that I would know when I figured it out. I knew and felt all the sorrow in the world for Mara, who had lost the one man in the world that she loved, as I had almost lost mine.

I woke up at about 1:30 in the morning and just watched him sleep. He had regained his coloring, and when I pulled down his collar to look at his neck, the vampire bite marks were no longer there. I felt relief sweep through my body as I pressed myself into his chest and felt his heartbeat on my back. It was then that I felt at home for the first time in all of my life. I felt whole in the arms of the boy that I had pushed away for so long, almost as though my body had known that this was the one that I was meant to be with. He snored a little and I stilled, hoping that he wouldn't awaken. Thankfully, he didn't and I was safe for another few hours when the gashes on his legs would need to be redressed.

I sat up like that for a while, just breathing in his scent and thinking about what might happen. I had never felt at home in Tiaren and was even contemplating about staying in Attilica forever. I knew that Tetra would stay with me, as he had felt as out of place there as I did. If I was to become a "astral maiden" like Vampira had said I would be, then I wouldn't be attacked in Attilica. I just hope that all the biting that Tetra had gone through didn't turn him into a creature of the night. I fell asleep again about twenty minutes later, still trying to figure out if I could get Teira and Javar to move into Attilica. Tetra would want Hiro and there simply would have to be another palace built. I wouldn't want to make it so that Mara and Zagora had too many mouths to feed.

Tetra

I woke up at about five in the morning to find Eira pressed against my chest and perfectly fitted to my body. I felt a grin sweep across my face and electricity run through my veins. _She actually stayed the night, _I thought. I finally got the girl that I had feelings for to realize that she needed me as much as I needed her. While I brushed back a lock of sandy blonde hair out of her face, she moved her shoulders a little in irritation. Is this what she felt while she astral projected to me last night? It was only when she yawned and smiled up at me that a lump rose in my throat. "Hey, you." she said sleepily.

"Hey, yourself. Did we really fall asleep talking?"

"Yes, and you will be happy to know that your bite marks on your neck are completely healed and, surprisingly, so are your thighs."

"When did you do such a careful inspection?"

Eira blushed, and this time, let me see her blush. It was then that I knew that she didn't hate me as much as she let on. Now I just have to make her realize that. "I did it around one in the morning for your information, and breakfast should be ready soon, so I had better go get dressed. What I want to know is how they whisked you away without any of us knowing."

"Yeah, so should I. You have to ruin the fun just when its starting, don't you?" I gave her a friendly smile to let her know that I was just joking.

"Actually I do, and now you're going to have wait until lunch to see what I'm wearing. I'm taking breakfast in the kitchen in my room, as I can see that you don't have."

"I'd rather eat with you than with Zagora. He stares at me the entire time."

"Well then, enjoy your staring contest." Eira walked out of the room, swinging her hips in the way that only girls can. I froze her, walked up behind her and whispered in her ear, "See you in about five minutes. Whether you're dressed or not, I'm coming in, and we're going to eat breakfast. And to answer your question, they used my own powers to kidnap me."

I unfroze her in time to see a shiver run down her spine as she rushed back to her rooms. I turned and chuckled. _Yep_, I said to myself, _I'm definitely going to have to get this girl, the one who turns me inside out with just the slightest touch. _


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Good News, Bad News, and a Curse

Eira

I was sitting on my bed, talking to Teira and Javar, when Tetra walked in five minutes later. Amazingly, he was right on the second. I almost laughed when I saw that the clock's minute hand was frozen. I had the table set and the food cooking. I gave the phone to Tetra, and went back to flipping the eggs and bacon. I heard him say goodbye, and heard him walking over to me. I ignored it, figuring that he was going over to the bar, where I had already set up muffins and glasses of milk. Instead, he came up behind me and gave me a hug. He whispered into my ear, "Thanks for saving me, and for making sure that I was comfortable last night and the night before."

"It really was nothing. I was as tired as you last night. And I actually didn't try to astral project to you, I just kind of did. Mara says that its called scrying."

"Thanks. That helps my self esteem a lot. Knowing that you didn't try to see me really helps."

"I didn't try to scry, but I did help you sleep better on my own accord. And I might not have tried to fall asleep beside you, but I stayed of my own will."

I was afraid to tell him, I have to admit. Afraid to tell him what I felt. Would he pull away? If I don't, though, he might move on and forget about me anyway. I couldn't even look at him, for fear that my eyes would give me away.

"Eira? What's wrong? You went stone-cold on me. Emphasis on the stone part."

"Nothing's wrong." I said, not even daring to look at him.

"Yeah, Eira, and Vampira would make the perfect grandmother. You can tell me, Eira. I promise that I won't laugh at you."

I scoffed and just put the bacon into the bowl that I had left on the kitchen counter. The eggs were put on two different plates and I separated myself from Tetra. I walked over to the bar and sat down. Tetra walked over beside me and sat down. We ate in a discomfortable silence. I repeated my silent mantra as I ate, _as long as he doesn't touch me, I'll be fine, as long as he doesn't touch me, I'll be fine. _It seemed to work to settle the conflict inside my mind, until he finally brushed my fingers with his. It took me a long time to feel back to my normal self, and by then, all the food was gone. Tetra began scratching his neck vigorously and I began to worry. " Neck bothering you?"

"Just a little itchy."

"Maybe a nice swim will help dry it out. Since you don't have a pool in your room, you can use mine. Who knows, I may even join you."

"Ohh, don't tempt me, princess. It may end up going somewhere you don't want it to go."

A shiver ran up and down my spine. There was no way that I was going to survive a whole year of his teasing without going insane. Not in the bad way either. I either tell him to stop the teasing but lose him, or keep it inside and the teasing continues, but then he's still around to tease, and that's always a good thing. There was no option. I had to tell him, or I might not be sane enough to tell him, at the rate that this is going.

"Tetra? Can I talk to you for a second? I have something to tell you."

"Yes, beautiful?"

A shiver ran down my back again. These infernal shivers. Those two little words were enough to melt me into a little puddle of Eira goo. My mouth was sealed shut as though wired. "Tetra, I really know that this is sudden, but I really think that there is something I need to say."

"You said that already, and I'm waiting, sweetheart."

"We've been hanging out for a while now, and we have gotten pretty close. Tetra, this is really hard to say..."

Before I could even utter those three words that would either ruin my life, or make my future so much more beautiful, he basically ran over to me and swept me into his arms. After he kissed the breath straight out of my lungs, which was basically nothing anyway, due to the look in his eyes, he just looked at me. He didn't say anything, just looked. "Eira, I know, I feel it too. If you don't want to say it, that's okay."

"That's okay. I can do it, I'm sorry that I didn't give you a chance before. Tetra, I-I... think that I love you." The last two words came out a whisper, almost soft enough that I barely even heardit. If he didn't, he probably got the picture. He didn't let go for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few moments. When he finally did let go, I nearly dropped to the floor, my knees were that weak.

He was back in about ten minutes, wearing a pair of swimming trunks. "You did offer to go swimming right? Get your suit on. We're going swimming."

I just laughed for a while, and went to get my swim suit on. We swam for about an hour, laughing and splashing. Then, I spotted his neck. You know, the one that was supposed to be totally healed? Well, it wasn't. As a matter of fact, it was an almost sickening green color. As I approached, there was a distinctly pungent odor. "Tetra, come here. I need to see something."

"Ohh, I wonder what that could be." I slapped him on the arm, where I knew that there was nothing that would hurt him more than just the slight sting of the slap. "You know what I meant, you pervert." I laughed, until I remembered why I had called him over.

"Your neck, Tetra, your neck. Your vampire bites have festered. Let me look at them."

"I got something else you can look at, and it isn't my neck. But you can have your way." He inched closer, and I got a good look at his neck for a good amount of time. The bites had indeed festered, and they looked larger than they had when they had first occurred. Now they looked like he had been gashed with a rhinoceros' horn twice. I almost started to cry, until I realized that he was relying on me to be his strong point. I looked at him, just looked, and he instantly knew what was wrong. He began to just back away, and I held out my hand. He took it and we just held on. It was as comforting now as it was yesterday, after I found out that Tetra was okay. Now that I know that might be taken away from me, I just began to cry.

Tetra

I held Eira as she cried, relieved that it was me here with her, instead of any of the other guys that she had gone with. There were many, just since I had moved here six months ago. They had made me extremely jealous, but now it was me whose arms she took solstice in, me that she cried over. It's not like I saw her as a prize or anything, but she was everything that I had ever wanted. I was concerned that she was so upset, since that means that it was very bad. A sob racked her body, and I just held on. When she finally stopped crying, I dragged her to the edge of the pool, and hoisted her out of the water. What she needed was a nice soft bed to lie on until she was done. I carried her to her bed, pulled back the covers and lied by her side until she stopped crying and caught her breath. When she had finally finished, I allowed her to just snuggle up to my chest. While she laid against me with her head resting against my body, we just talked about what had happened. Whether or not it helped, it didn't matter. She stopped crying and shortly afterward, we went downstairs to check with Mara as to what might be happening. She didn't look happy when we showed her. "You are going to become a vampire, that's for sure. The fact that it's festering is a dead giveaway. But, since the ceremony was never completed, you won't be full-blood. You will just be a half-blood vampire."

"What are you talking about with a ceremony?" Eira asked, her voice wavering, as if she was about to cry. I put my arm around her to keep her from collapsing again in her already weak state. She leaned her head against my chest and, as always, the contact was electrifying. Mara looked at us apprehensively, and I just kept my mouth shut, my neck starting to twinge.

Eira

There I stood, my head leaning against Tetra's chest, my whole body humming at the innocent contact. I looked at Mara and she just smiled, knowing that I now knew what she had meant the other night. I looked up at Tetra and smiled, as I had gotten used to the odor from the wound when I was leaning against his chest. Suddenly, I knew what to do. I just lifted my hand to about a quarter inch over the wound and muttered the words that just came out. "_Hejira Tierra." _

The wound healed and the odor vanished. Tetra clapped a hand to his slightly pink neck and just gaped at me. I simply shrugged at him and looked again at Mara. She was muttering to herself, just loud enough for us to hear.

" She is indeed becoming one of the Kerya. We need to get her to a astral maiden for training. They will know what to do."

I cleared my throat and said simply, "Hello? We're still here, you know!"

"Yes, Eira, and you won't be for long. Tell your closet to pack up and pack anything that you can find. Food, water, the oils from the bathroom. As a Kerya, you will need all you can to get through to the astral maidens that you are no threat to them."

"What is this thing? What are Kerya?"

"Kerya are angels, also known as astral maidens. But Kerya are different in one very special way, they have witch powers. Kerya are queens of the angels, and you are to be the strongest, as the chosen one. I regret to tell you this, as knowledge is power, and that knowledge will make you almost as bright as a lighthouse to some of the people roaming the lands of Attilica. Not only werewolves, sirens, vampires, and harpies, all of which are evil, will hunt you, but also dragons, angels, demons, witches, sorcerers, mermaids, nymphs and fairies as well, which are all good. While the prior will wish to harm you, the latter will want to help. As a princess of Attilica, as you may have already noticed, you have a imperial tattoo on your hip, which will glow brightly whenever evil is around. Keep it exposed, as it will also identify to all good who you are. Be careful, my child, and may god protect you."

"Is Tetra to go with me?" I asked, entwining myself in his arms, and wrapping mine around his waist.

"He will go, but not because I want him to. He will go as Uriah did for me. It is not by royal decree, but with love. Uriah was slain on that journey. Keep your friends close, and each other closer. Believe me, I know what it's like to lose one that you love to the very people that you wish to kill. It only makes the need for vengeance greater. Remember, tell your closets to pack up. They will do the rest. Empty out your suite, Eira, and tarry not. You will need all the speed of the gods to make it to Mt. Olympus before the _Amorial Festival,_ when the angels sing the gate to the heavens closed and noone is permitted in for another two weeks, when they are done mating."

Tetra almost choked on her last word. "Mating? Are angels allowed to do that? Not that I wouldn't mind trying it out with this angel," At this I slapped him again, "but for two weeks? Wouldn't their wings get in the way? Is Eira going to grow wings?"

I laughed and mimicked from that night we had first entered Attilica, " You ask a lot of questions for one as smart as I know you are. After all, aren't you the only person to ever win my heart?"

He chuckled and looked down at me, love as evident in his eyes as I was afraid that they would have been in mine. I drove myself deeper into his chest and just rested there, until I had let the calm waves take me away, and until I needed to talk to him.

I took him upstairs to my room and sat him down on my bed. I made sandwiches out of what was in the fridge and we ate them on my bed. "Are you ready to journey to Mt. Olympus?"

"Not really, but you don't have to go if you don't want to. I don't want to put you in any more danger than you are already in."

"I'm going, my dear, and nothing you can say will ever change that. I'm kind of looking forward to this Amorial Festival. I might actually get to see you unwind and loosen up from the tight ball that you have wound around your heart. The real question is, are you ready to talk to your closet?"

I laughed and got up from the bed, having finished my sandwich. I strolled over to the closet with an exaggerated hip swing for Tetra's benefit. I stopped in front of it and spoke directly to the handle. "Pack up, please."

To my surprise, the closet immediately spit out a purple and black pack with the initials EN embroidered in a curly script at the top. "Well, that worked."

"What does EN stand for? Obviously the E is for Eira, but what is your last name?" Tetra asked.

"To tell you the truth, I don't even know. I was always told that my last name was from a different town, but I never knew what it was. My mother gave me up at birth, when she saw the golden rose on my forehead," I fingered this as I spoke, "The only records that the foster care agency had was that two other children were dropped off the same day, my birthday. Valentine's Day."

In a flash, Tetra was holding me up and was carrying me back to the bed. He laid down beside me and asked me to tell him more about what I knew.

"There was two boys, my twin brother apparently, and the second one was another Nagiala student. I've been searching for my twin brother all my life, and I still haven't found him, or the other little boy."

"You found the other little boy, Teira. I was given up at birth, too. I was dropped off on Valentine's Day fifteen years ago. I was told that twins had been dropped off the same day. Fraternal twins. Funny thing is, I've been searching for those twins all my life, too, and I've never found that your twin brother either. I hope to god that he isn't as beautiful as you are, or I might have a decision on my hands."

I rolled over until I was on his chest, looking down into his eyes, and realized that we were connected in a way different from anything else we had ever encountered. Now we just had to find my brother, and try to find out who we are.

We laid like that for almost an hour, getting a good night's sleep before we set out on our journey. I packed extra bandages, just in case the supposedly healed wounds on his thighs opened up again. He seemed fine, if not really excited to get going. Mara gave us three horses to use, one for each of us and one to carry the stuff that would not fit in the saddle bags, like my satin blanket and pillows, and Tetra's fleece ones. We set off shortly before sunrise, packed and ready for one of the longest journeys of our lifetimes.

For the first four or five hours, nothing went wrong. We talked a lot and were bored for most of that area. We laid down on Tetra's blanket and just gave our backsides a break from the relentless riding. This went on just long enough to have a drink, a snack, and we were off again. Off on this crazy journey to a place that neither of us had ever heard of before.

We stopped for the night underneath a large tree about fifty feet tall, and a hundred years old. We laid down Tetra's blanket, crawled in, and laid mine on top. We laid close together to keep each other warm on this eighty degree night, and fell asleep under the stars, our hips exposed as a sort of alarm clock, should anything get too close.

The first night went well, and we set out at sunrise, leaving the smoldering, black remains of our campfire behind.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nymphs, Elves, and Angels

Eira

When we left on the second day, the horses didn't exactly seem to want to go on. Though we were tired, we pushed them on until night came upon us and we had to stop until dawn. I tied my gray roan to a tree and began to set up the beds. Strangely, Tetra has been quiet and walked off a few minutes later, muttering "firewood" under his breath. I just resolved that he wanted to get a fire going, even though it was eighty five degrees outside. I crawled into my makeshift sleeping bag and felt something else had beaten me to it. I reached over my hand to investigate if it was a squirrel or (with my luck) a werewolf. My suspicions and most of my fears were gone when my hand made contact with bare flesh. Human flesh, as nude as the day it was born. Definitely not Tetra, but something else that had now taken to putting its hand on my leg. I swatted it off, and jumped off of the cot. I then exposed my hip for some light, knowing that it was shining brightly.

It was a male human, that was for sure, but it was more beautiful than any normal guys. Its chin had a chiseled look, and the eyes were ones that you could fall in forever. Luckily, the rest of its body was hidden from my sight by the blanket. The hand wrapping itself around my waist let me know that Tetra was back, although he was empty handed. There was an odd stick in his hair, and when I picked it out, he blushed. I asked him a wordless question, _Where were you?_

He just shrugged and saw the thing that was lying in the bed. His eyes flicked over to me, and this time, it was my turn to shrug. "What exactly are you?" I asked, not wanting to seem rude, even though he was in my bed.

"I am a nymph. We are the proud, skilled warriors of the forest. We seek out angels and mate with them. The male children become nymphs, the females angels. As you are a Kerya, you are like a queen to nymphs. We can not resist coming to you."

This confession only made Tetra hold on tighter, nearly tearing off my skin. I patted his chest and he loosened his grip. "There will be no mating with this Kerya. She is off limits. We are headed to Mount Olympus and we need no distractions. If Eira doesn't get there in time, she won't be a proper Kerya. And I wouldn't want to miss the Amorial Festival." Tetra said the last part into my ear, so as the nymph wouldn't hear it. I was getting tired of slapping him for his perverted comments, so I kissed him to try to get the nymph to get the big picture. That Tetra was my guy, and there would be no mating at all. I shot a look at Tetra to give him that picture too.

The nymph disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Tetra flopped onto the bed. I laid down beside him and looked him straight in the eye. "Why were you gone? You didn't bring back any firewood and you appeared as suddenly as the nymph did."

"I went to get firewood in case the night got cold. I saw that my hip was glowing and I ran back to see what was wrong. There was a naked guy in my bed, and you looked as shell-shocked as a newborn calf. It was actually quite funny until the nymph part."

Just then, another nymph appeared behind me. This one, I slapped across the face, as we needed no introduction. I then told him why I slapped him and asked him to tell all his buddies to leave us alone. He left in a huff and a puff of smoke, just as the other had. Tetra laughed and I fixed myself up to his chest, so any other nymphs watching knew that there was no way that any of them were going to get anything other than a slap across the face. He wrapped his arm around me, and to my surprise, we fell asleep quite easily.

Tetra

Eira and I weren't bothered by any more nymphs that night, probably considering that Eira had slapped the last one really hard. We set off early the next morning, trying to get there before the two weeks before the Amorial Festival is started, where we'd have to wait another two weeks just to get inside the front gate. The horses were surprisingly well rested, probably because they didn't have two naked guys pop over onto their backs while they were trying to go to sleep. I envied their enthusiasm as we reached the end of the forest that separate the imperial castle from the rest of Attilica. I watched as Eira nearly fell off of her horse. Just as I ride up beside her, she pulls herself back up, good horsewoman that she is, and fell asleep on the horn while the horses carried us on the path that they seem to have taken so many times that they have memorized it. We reached a nearby town and found a hotel to sleep in, a welcome change from the hard ground and spiky rocks that dug into our backs every night. Even though the ground was covered in dirt and little pieces of hay from the centaurs hooves, the fairy that had guided us to it said that it was the best in town. We booked a night in a suite and began to explore the town.

Eira

When we entered the market across from the hotel, there were so many amazing sights and smells to explore. Tetra and I were looking at clothes. I walked to the other side of the rack, and a big, hairy something was breathing down in my face, lifting my off of the ground by one wrist. I began to writhe free and discovered that it only distressed my wrist more. Before I could call out his name, Tetra was there. "Can you kindly let my wife down?"

The thing and I both looked at him, but for different reasons. I looked at him for the wife comment, he looked at him because Tetra had spoken so coldly to him. "This is your girl? Make sure that she is right beside you at all times. Wouldn't want that pretty face messed up from being stoned." While the thing said this, he stroked my cheekbone and I resisted the urge to shudder from his repulsiveness. When he finally dropped me, Tetra was there to catch me and I held on tight to him. My legs were about to give out at any second from the sheer impact that could have shattered my kneecaps. I waited until the thing was gone to yell at him. Softly, of course. "Wife? If that was a proposal, that sucked."

"It was the only way that he would let you down, and it wasn't a proposal. You are lucky that I was here, or you might have been sold as a mistress or worse, a harlot. They wouldn't even hesitate to put a princess in prison, especially with the added price spike of an angel. Many people would not hesitate for a second to buy a captive angel."

"Thanks, but I'm still not sure that I like the wife part. Couldn't I have been your sister?"

"But I couldn't do this to my sister." He kissed me, and I felt the familiar electrical current run through my veins.

I just walked beside him, agreeing with his logic. From then on, I stayed almost glued to his side, as I saw many more of those hairy things in the streets. We walked back the hotel with our supplies restocked, and went up to our room. To our surprise, the suite consisted of only one room, instead of the two that normally occur in Tiaren. The reminder of Tiaren sent a shock of homesickness through my body and thought about Teira and Javar. I missed them a lot, and would hopefully see them soon. Tetra flopped on the sofa and grabbed his dirt stained blanket out to the bag. He flipped it over so that the dirty side was facing up, and fell asleep on the couch. I went over to the bed, spread out my blanket and fell asleep listening to Tetra snore.

Once again, I dreamt of Tiaren as if I was there. Teira and Javar were sleeping peacefully in the library over the books that were opened to the final exam page. If they were taking final exams already, then it was summer again. That would mean that time moves faster in Tiaren than in Attilica. That would certainly explain why Tetra always had to pack a few months supply of clothes if he was only going for a week. He had explained to me that the portal was always open into Attilica from Tiaren, and only open to Attilica on nights of the green moon. I tapped on Teira's shoulder, and just as she was turning around, I was woken up. But it wasn't Tetra that had woken me up. There were these two people, taller and more beautiful than any normal human could be. They were both women, but one seemed more regal than the other. The regal one was blonde and the other was a brunette. The extraordinary beings spoke in one voice, "Are you the Kerya?"

"I am. Who and what are you?"

"We, princess, are elves. I am Elesmerdia, and this is my lady-in-waiting and personal protection, Alya. We set out five days ago to find the one they were calling the chosen one, and we knew that we must get to her before the others did. As we have found you, there is no more major need to worry. We will lead you back to our campsite, and you will reclaim the man that tried and failed to protect you when we tried to awaken you. He did put up a good fight, though he was faced with elven magic. We shall have to put him on the training program when we get to our home."

My head was still spinning with the five days comment. I had only been in Attilica for six days. How had they known so fast? Even if gossip travels fast, its not that fast. I hadn't even known who I was until the day of Tetra's rescuing. These things knew a lot about what was going on. If only I could ask them, ask them about what was they knew. And they had Tetra, though he probably wasn't hurt that badly, if they wanted to put him on some kind of training program. So, I wasn't too worried about that. "We have to get to Mt. Olympus before the Amorial Festival. Any distraction is a bad one. The trip to your homeland may just have to wait a while. For right now, I just want to keep Tetra and myself safe. So, what is it that you need to do?"

"We need to get you to the mountain, of course. We are your personal entourage until you get there, just to make sure that, as you put it, you and the boy are safe. Hopefully, you will find our presence almost non-existent, as we will stay a few feet behind to allow you your privacy. But, fear not, we will not be far behind in case of possible attack from the many evils of this world. For now, you must go back to our camp a little while back and fetch your man. Then, we will set off at dawn. Sorry for awakening you, but it was urgent that you knew of our protection."

I followed them about a quarter mile back, when I saw smoke rising from the trees. _That must be Tetra, my personal fire starter._ I nearly laughed at this, but stopped when I saw the elves tight expressions and even tighter lips. It was then that I remembered the stories from home and the tales of the connection between the elves and the trees. It was said that every elf is, at birth, connected to a special huon tree that their parents plant for them. If this tree is cut down, the elf that it is connected to will perish as well. It is considered a great honor to have a mighty huon tree in your backyard, as a symbol of your friendship with an elf. This caused me to flinch and the elves looked at me with sympathy. They knew that I knew what they were so uptight about. There are no secrets with these immortal night-singers. It is also said that they can read minds, but I doubt that this one is true.

"It is most certainly true, but we try not to if ever possible. Mind tapping is dragon's work."

I vowed to keep my thoughts shut for the rest of the night.

When we reclaimed Tetra, I saw that he had only a slight gash on his face, and yet another scratch on his thigh. I tried to remember the healing spell and was stumped for a while until _Hejira Tierra _flew out of my mouth. Both wounds healed instantly, and we were off to the hotel that we were staying at, and I wondered how the tree people, as elves are often called, had carried out an unconscious Tetra without anyone noticing. I crawled back into bed, Tetra on the sofa, and fell back into sleep. This time, my dreams were black and empty.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Fairies, A Drink, and Vampires

Eira

When I woke up the next morning, there was a group of people staring at me by my bedside. Quickly, I pulled the thin blanket over my purple and black pajamas and stared right back. A few shuffled uncomfortably, but noone spoke. Tetra was nowhere to be found, and I didn't feel like searching him out. I thought that perhaps he had gone out to the market once more, and felt an unwelcome twinge of jealousy as I thought of the half nude mermaids that we had seen earlier. They had waved and giggled and caused quite a fuss. Someone cleared their throat quite loudly in my room and I was snapped quickly into reality. I had an audience of about four centaur and twenty witches. The centaur were looking anxious and the witches looked eager. "May I help one of you? If I can't please exit my room, before I call for my friend." _If he isn't dead that is._

A centaur with black hair and a long tail stepped forward and spoke. "You are the Kerya, are you not?"

"Aye."

"Then you are to come with us. The elves wish an audience with you and the boy."

"What is the boy's, my, and the elves names?" It wouldn't prove that they were truly the elves messengers, but it would give me a little peace of mind in my insane life.

"Tetra, Eira, Alya, and Elesmerdia. They come from the land of Tuatara, and you from the city of Teira. Three of you are blonde, the other is brunette. Now will you come with us?"

I was almost convinced, but why so many of them? "So many of you when you knew that we would go without a struggle?"

"Two witches and I were sent here. The rest just wanted to see the one who would liberate us from the evil beings in the world. We are sorry if our presence is making you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable."

"Just the slightest bit," I lied through my teeth. "Is it possible for you all to leave my room while Tetra and I get dressed? One of you should send him up. Tell him to knock first, because I need a shower."

"Indeed, princess, your wish is our command. I will send the unneeded home, and we three shall accompany you to the encampment."

"Thank you."

The lead centaur, the one with the black hair, bowed as smoothly as if he didn't have a horse as a torso, and walked briskly out of the room. I walked to my bag, and the beautiful purple halter top and miniskirt that I had worn on the second day in the castle were on top, as clean as if I had never worn them. Apparently, auto-packing wasn't the only thing this bag could do. Tetra didn't even bother to knock, and walked right in. Luckily, I was only getting ready to walk into the bathroom, and was fully-clothed. I blushed as if I was nude, and closed and locked the bathroom door behind me. As much as I may love Tetra, I was still clueless as to what he might try to do.

After I had finished my shower, without disturbances thankfully, we walked down together and met the threesome in the lobby. They led us to the camp, and there we met the beautiful elves again. Elesmerdia was the first to speak.

"Welcome back, Your Majesties. It is a great pleasure to see you again. There is much to talk about, and it was urgent that you know. But, it must be spoken in private, so if you would follow Alya and I to our tent, we will discuss the matters at hand."

We followed them into the tent, as were astonished to find the tent was at least three times as large as it had looked from the outside. _I will have to find out how they did that, as it may come in handy._ Tetra didn't look as impressed as I was, and I remembered that he had been here before, and had probably seen this magic before. There was a ring of soft as silk pillows, that seemed to form to your body shape to make you more comfortable, stationed around a pond in the center. The pond was as clear and perfect as glass, and there seemed to be no end to the pit. Not a single ripple crossed its seamless surface, and we sat down around it. "Now, princess. As you may or may not know, the Amorial Festival is in ten days. It would take us eight days to get to Mount Olympus under normal circumstances, but the events that are happening are not normal. There is a mass gathering of vampires and their allies blocking the road to Point Blistiff. This is the main road, and we would be fools to try to go directly through their midst. Luckily, we got this message early this morning from one of our spies, and we plotted to travel a different route, a less dangerous one than the main road under current times, but more than the normal route in normal circumstances. You will need all of your strength, so we wish for you to stay in the hotel for at least another day. We will set off for the detour as soon as Your Majesties wish it."

"We shall set off just after dawn tomorrow morning, and we will take the detour. We need no more danger in our lives than can be avoided. For now, we shall rest in comfort in the town. If we do venture off, it won't be farther than the next stream. We shall call and send up a distress flare if we are attacked. Hopefully, you can get to us before one of us is slain."

"We will be there."

"Then we will be going. We will see you tomorrow."

I noticed that Tetra hadn't spoken at all that entire meeting. I glanced over and saw that he was as white as a sheet. "What's wrong, Tetra?"

"I'm not sure. I am hungry, I think. We should be getting back anyway."

But before he could take another step, he passed out. Being of slow mind, but fast reflexes, I caught him before he hit the ground. I astral projected to the elves and asked for assistance. When they arrived, I was still holding Tetra in my arms, pushing hair out of his face that looked as peaceful as he had when he was in the dungeon of Dracula's castle. They helped us get back to the camp, everyone's faces grim.

The elves, luckily, knew what ailed him. A young elven healer that didn't look too much older that myself asked, "Has he been bitten by a vampire recently? His reference to hunger may not have been for meat. He may have meant for blood. He will become a vampire tonight, a full moon, and drink every night. He will not need to drink as much as a normal vampire, as he was not ceremonially made into a vampire. He will go to you. He will not kill you, but only drink about as much blood as you would with a cut finger.. The experience is rather strange, but not unpleasant. We will keep him here with you until he is done. Your blood as a Kerya will make sure that you do not turn into a vampire, and that he will not feed from others. You are the perfect specimen for him to feed on, as we need no more vampires in the world. He will not become evil," the healer pronounced as he saw my mouth open to ask. "All of us have the option to be either good or evil. It is our choices that make us who we are. No, he will remain the same boy that you know, just a little more emotionally attached to you, as you will give him your life's fluid, your very essence. He will be more in love with you tomorrow than he is now, if that is possible. You will be for him as well, as the feeding connects you to the vampire that bit you, unless the prey is unwilling."

I nodded at this, a little antsy, yet strangely excited that I would be the one that Tetra would be feeding off of for the first time. His eyes fluttered open. "Hey, gorgeous. Where's the funeral? Everyone looks so grim and worried." I flung myself on top of him, and he smiled. "Though maybe I should pass out more often, if this is the reception I get when I wake up."

"Don't you dare!" I hesitated. "Tetra, you passed out because your vampire self is coming out. You will be a half-breed, so you won't hurt me much at all."

"Hurt you?" He pulled away. "You aren't going to be anywhere near my tent tonight when I wake up to feed. I won't risk killing you."

I slapped him hard. "You heard me, right? I said that you wouldn't hurt me much, because you won't drink much at all. And I will be the one that you feed off of, so that some other innocent person isn't hurt.'

"But you will be hurt, and I can't bear to see you in the same state that I am in." He sounded so pitiful that I laughed.

"I am a Kerya, that means that my blood basically neutralizes any sort of bad blood mixing that I might get from you biting me. And, apparently, my blood is more filling than anyone else's, so you won't be hungry after you drink, and can go back to sleep." I said this as cheerfully as possible, both trying to convince him to let me stay with him, and leaving out the bonding part. I don't want to scare him, I just want to save some poor nearby farmer who might just be breakfast.

Tetra thought for a moment and said nothing. I guess that means that I won, and I kissed him full on the lips. He didn't pull away, like I half-expected him to do. I untangled myself from him and went back to the hotel to get clothing for tonight and tomorrow.

When I got back later that day, the elves had moved Tetra to a tent in blood-red, so everyone knew to stay away at night, just in case. I walked in, and Tetra wasn't as white as he had been, but he was looking concerned. "Where were you? I was afraid that you had been captured! You were gone a while. The elves think that we are going to have to stay another day, due to your possible weakness. I told them that they were going to have to go tomorrow as planned, even if I have to carry you to the next town."

I laughed and slipped into the bed beside him, close enough that he wouldn't even have to sit up to feed. We talked until he fell asleep, and I laid awake for a while, constant questions running through my mind as to what might happen. Was it going to hurt? Was I going to be weak? Would my neck be sore tomorrow? Tetra tossed violently and I reached over to stroke his forehead to comfort him. He stopped and I resumed my position, with my neck fairly close to his mouth. I wasn't scared, just slightly anxious as to what might happen. Almost unwillingly, I fell asleep and wasn't awakened until exactly midnight, the vampire hour.

Once Tetra was done feeding, we fell back to sleep. I'd say that it took about twenty minutes for him to feed. It was a little painful at first, when he actually bit, but afterward, it was sort of pleasant. That may have been from the anesthetics that the elven doctor said that the vampire fangs would have, or it may have been from the feeling of complete peace, as if nothing were more natural. It seems strange now, but it was like there was more blood in my body instead of less. I was ready to go the next morning, full of energy. Tetra looked at me as if I were insane, then laughed as if nothing had happened. He had resumed his normal color, and looked for all the blonde prince that he was.

There were no reported deaths in the area, so I guess that he fell asleep after he was done with me, just like he should have. We continued on, this good news lifting me higher into good spirits until we came across a fountain, the elves nowhere in sight, like they promised. We sat at the pond for a while, until two water fairies appeared out of nowhere and began talking to Tetra, and ignoring me. "Oh, Handsome One. We are the water fairies of the celestrial pond, and wish to know why you are here."

"I am here to see you, beautiful ones." I just looked at him in disbelief at this comment, "and I see no reason to return."

"Why would you? We welcome you at the bottom of the pond, and you shall be king of the water fairies, with many a beautiful harem woman to choose from to be your queen."

"Tetra? Tetra!! Hello, earth to vampire boy!!" I cried out, realizing their plan.

When the fairies finally turned and realized my existence, their appearance drastically changed from mystically beautiful, to devilishly scary. Tetra didn't even bat an eyelash at the change in appearance, as such is the strength of their enchantments. They grabbed for his arms and tried to pull him into the icy clear water that was their home. They may have succeeded if it weren't for the already powerful grip I had on his waist. _How do you break the spell? How do you break the spell?!_ I nearly screamed with frustration as I quickly paged through my almost non-existent knowledge of water fairies. Then it hit me faster than a moving train. Love! Love is the only thing that can save the men from the intoxicating attraction to these beautiful creatures. Quickly, I kissed him so hard our teeth slammed together, and a look of comprehension crossed his face. He smiled, stopped the fairies with his magic, and turned to me. "Sorry."

"Not your fault, you idiot. It better not happen again, or I won't save your ass."

"Oh, the angel swore! Is that allowed?"

I slapped him, probably harder than I should have and walked toward the camp and the elves, leaving him back at the pond with a dopey smile plastered onto his handsome face.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ghosts, Unicorns and Aleiansha

There was indeed a mass gathering of vampires in the middle of the road. We took the road about a quarter mile down from their convention, but I was still disgusted to see that there were bodies of villagers lying piled in the road. There were men, women, dogs, and even a horse. The most disgusting of all was the body of a nude, pale baby, lying on top of the woman that I guess was her mother. Nearby was a man, his hand still wrapped, even in death, in the pasty white hand of his wife. I felt a hand wrap around mine, similar to the link in front of me, and realized that Tetra had pulled his horse up to mine, and was seeing what I was. I relaxed into the saddle, relishing the warm feeling of his closeness. The elves whispered a soft blessing, to help their passing, and passed us. I was starting to feel nauseous, and reared my horse into a walk, releasing Tetra's hand. Hoping that the vampires were far enough away to not smell my angel blood, I caught up to the elves and we rode for another hour. We stopped at a dead unicorn in the middle of the road. It's pale golden hair shone brilliantly, and a silver blood was pooled around its limp, but once powerful, body. The elves cried out and leapt from their horses with an inhuman speed. They ran to the body, and threw themselves down beside him, regardless of the blood that was soaking their elegant clothes. _Thiourea mandift hinslet_ was a cry that racked their bodies violently. I placed a hand on Alya's shoulder and on Elesmerdia's back, and spoke in a soothing voice, as if I were speaking to an injured child. _Beir_ _atrica pired _slipped from my mouth before I could hold my tongue. The elves silenced instantly, and looked at me in sheer amazement. The unicorn seemed to be forgotten as the spoke simultaneously, "You speak the ancient language? How did you know what to say? Why didn't you tell us before, Your Highness?"

"No, I don't even know what I said. It came out unbidden. Can someone please tell me what I said? Did I offend anyone?"

"No, you said the appropriate thing, which makes this all the more unusual. You said, Be at Peace. How did you do it?" Elesmerdia was the first to speak and her voice peaked with astonishment, much to my dismay.

"I don't know! I'm glad that I didn't offend anyone, but it sometimes just happens that random words come out to a magical effect." I stepped back, and folded my hands at my chest, almost to ward off any magic that may occur.

Alya spoke this time, having finally recovered from my outburst. "What all have you said?" Her face was as eager as a child on her first day of school.

"_Hejira Tierra_."

"Was someone injured at the time?"

"Tetra."

"That explains it. You are more than just the chosen one, you are also a _Hurilsater, _a natural learner. They are very rare, and prized above all others. So not only are you a Kerya, the Chosen One, a princess, but one who knows naturally. Your blood would be worth much at the slave market, so we will keep you all the closer. Alya will begin to teach you the ancient language, _Aleiansha_. You will also learn to control the magic that has welded itself into your veins. Now, back to our fallen friend. It is a terrible thing to slay a unicorn, and one who does will suffer a fate worse than death. Their blood will boil in their veins whenever they look upon elf, unicorn, or horse. Eventually, they will die. They have slain one that has done absolutely nothing to them. Unicorns never venture away from the glen in which they are born. This poor being must have been going to the fresh patch of grass that is over that hill."

"Why would they have slain such a beautiful thing?"

"Unicorn blood is very valuable. It is used in many potions, and will, if rubbed into a serious injury, heal it instantly. Most of the time, if the price is right, they will find an injured unicorn and obtain the blood that way."

We paid our respect to the slain beauty, and continued on our journey. We traveled for two more days, until we cam upon the next town. There, we restored our resources and found rooms for the night. This time, there were rooms for both Tetra and myself, but we ended up in one room anyway, after the horrors of the days behind us brought themselves back from where I had stored them in my memory. He helped me to calm down when the ghosts of those poor spirits haunted my thoughts. We talked and fell asleep together, still holding hands, the linking of our souls.

There was no way to describe how I felt the morning afterward. It was the final day of our journey, as we were supposed to be in Hireandel, the town in front of the mountain, before dusk. It was the day before the festival was to begin, and the day before the gates were sealed for two weeks.

Hieandel was in sight before dusk, the road uneventful. The town itself was bustling with activity, and there were people hanging up decorations everywhere. There were the most beautiful sparkling balls hovering in the air above our heads. The villagers, upon sight of our party, stopped their jubilation, and turned grim almost instantly. A brave young man stepped forward to speak to us. "Why are you here?"

Ignoring his rudeness, I answered simply, "We are here to see the astral maidens."

"They are preparing to seal the gate. If you wish to get inside, you must get there now or you will be sealed out of their halls until the new generation are created."

"Thank you. Continue your previous activities."

Someone else came forward and spoke clearly, though seemingly afraid.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you the Kerya?"

I glanced over to the elves, who nodded. "Indeed I am."

The villagers dropped instantaneously to their knees."Your majesty, we had no idea. Please forgive us for our impertinence. They shall hold the gate for you for another hour, for that is as long as it shall take to make the preparations. If you get there before them, they will welcome you with the open arms and hospitality that one of your stature deserves."

I was amazed at the transformation of the villagers from when we first arrived and immediately began to gallop the looming shadow that was Mt. Olympus.

We were indeed welcomed with open arms, and Tetra was welcomed to many a bed, to my surprise. I knew that he was a magnet to human women, but angels? Weren't they supposed to be virtuous?

Tetra, to my supreme gratitude, wrapped one arm around my waist, and to the disapproving looks of the supremely beautiful women surrounding our party. Their beauty was nothing, however, compared to the landscape around us. The grass was manicured and there were beautiful orchids everywhere. We were lead to adjoining rooms, in case of emergency. Tetra, of course, had the room attached to mine. His smile was apparent on his face. He was clearly thinking that I was going to participate in the Amorial Festival tradition. He was sadly mistaken. Just because I am a Kerya does not make it so that I have to participate in all their traditions. Sex was the last thing from my mind. I relaxed in a comfortable seat, and began to rub my temples. My life had been easy until I entered Attilica. I was just a somewhat normal girl with unusual powers. I was still just a nobody. Now, I'm, supposedly, to be a queen of angels! Not to mention a princess. I dreamed of being royalty when I was younger just like any other kid. That my real parents were a king and queen that I was stolen from as a baby. That my parents still wanted me. It was a foolish dream, and one that I hadn't indulged in quite a while. Every orphan wants to feel loved, to feel like someone wants them. That's something that children with real parents take for granted. They know that someone wants them, and they rebel and treat their parents incorrectly.

Someone came in and began to rub my shoulders. I jumped, as I hadn't even heard anyone come in. I was too lost in my thoughts to be interested in my surroundings. I assumed it was Tetra, until the hands wrapped themselves tightly around my neck. I cried out, in desperation, _feindilt_ _sumoft_, _heirf merand_. A fiery red ball bounced out of my room amazingly fast. I turned to face my attacker and found it to be the young man who had spoke so rudely to me earlier. Alya, Elesmerdia, and Tetra all came flying into the room. At first they looked shocked, but then Alya flew into action. I was beginning to feel the lack of oxygen, but before I blacked out, I saw Alya's dagger fly to cut off the hands that were currently trying to kill me. I breathed in one last time, and passed out.

Tetra

I watched as that idiot began to cry out over his hands. He had tried to kill an angel. What did he expect. I turned to see Eira on the floor, unconscious. Running over to see if she was still alive, a slight tickle of a pulse met my fingertips. She was okay! That ball had come into the common room, where the elves and I were having a little chat about horses and unicorns, and had cried out, in Eira's voice, some magic that had the elves running over the thing. I didn't catch what it said, something in another language, probably the ancient one that we heard so much about before. That man had his hands around her neck, and was throttling her to death. All the while, she was kicking and trying to scream. Alya whipped out a concealed dagger and sliced off his hands. Elesmerdia called for a guard to arrest him for attempted murder, and Eira was moved to my room until her carpet was cleaned of the crimson pool that was spurting from the murderer's hands. She woke up shortly after, still gasping for breath.

"How did you find me?" She said lightly, almost in a whisper.

"Your ball bounced in on us, screamed bloody murder, not literally, and bounced back here. We simply followed it," I said in a casual voice, as though this happened every day. The truth was, I was terrified of what may have happened.

Elesmerdia voiced in, "Your so called ball was crying out, _Heirf Merand_, help me. You didn't happen to cast a spell, did you?"

"I have your quick thinking, Alya, to thank for my life. And yes, I did cry out something. Though I'm still not sure what."

Alya bowed at the waist, but there was a broad smile apparent on her face. Eira clasped her bright red throat and looked questioningly around the room. I knew what she was thinking, but I left her to figure it out on her own.

The elves retreated from the room, and the second that the door was closed, Eira sat back in her chair and sighed. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and her body was shaking with silent sobs. I pulled her over closer to myself to try to comfort her and held her until she was once again calmed down. I would have been scared too, if I was in her place. Someone snuck into her room, and tried to kill her. I'd be crying a lot harder than she was if that had happened to be. When she was ready, we walked down into the main hall to introduce ourselves to the astral maidens. They were all lined up in their tables, golden plates and utensils placed before them. We walked to the front of the hall, where a woman with a pair of golden wings was approaching a microphone. "We gather here today, the eve of the Amorial Festival, to honor a new sister, and eventually, queen. She has traveled far and experienced much. Even inside the safety of our walls, she was in danger. Luckily, that danger has passed. Let us welcome Eira and Tetra of Tiaren and their companions, Elesmerdia and Alya of Helmerdian, the city of the elves."

There was thunderous applause that seemed to shake the very air around us. The woman raised a hand and the hall fell silent.

"They are to be our honored guests for the next year, so you shall see much of them. If they choose to stay, they shall be welcomed as members of our family. But, all Kerya need their wings, right? Eira, please join me."

Eira walked onto the stage. The woman place hands on her shoulder blades. _"Gierat!_"

Eira gasped and two large, golden wings sprung from her back. She began to fall forward. I sprinted to her and caught her before she fell. "Thanks, but watch the wings. They're sore." Then, she passed out for the second time in as many hours.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Poison, Queens and a Sweet Sixteen

Eira

Uh... What hit me? I felt like I'd been hit by a moving train. My back hurt really badly, and I felt like I'd left part of my body on the bed. I got up out of the bed and looked around the room. There was a chair in the corner of the room, and now that my focus was clear, I realized that I was in Tetra's room. I walk over to the chair and put a hand on the seat. It was still warm, as if someone had just gotten up. I got up to go find the elves but blocking the door and staring at me was Tetra, looking as worried as I felt. "What's wrong? You look as if you've seen a ghost." I asked.

"One of those, a couple of angels, and a certain angel fall not so gracefully off stage in front of every single angel in the place." he answered.

"Okay, I don't even remember anything that you just said. I feel like someone took a bat to my head."

"Have you taken a look into a mirror lately?"

"No, should I? Is there something wrong with the way that I look? Do I have messed up bed hair?"

"There's nothing wrong with the way you look. You look as beautiful now as you ever have. If fact, now more than ever."

I just looked at him funny and went back to my bedroom to get a look into my trusty full-length mirror. When I reach my bedroom, there it is. The gilding seemed to wink at me as walked into the room, and I hesitated in front of the mirror. I almost didn't want to see what was wrong, almost didn't want to see what was happening to my body, as that was probably what it was. When I finally looked into the mirror, I was shocked to see the golden iridescent wings sticking out from either side of my body. They were like something out of a children's book, a picture in the bible. I had always wished that I could just fly away, but never wished that I would actually have the chance to. I was so wrapped up in the sight of my wings that I didn't hear or see Tetra come back behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and carefully avoided my wings. "Are they still sore? You mentioned that they were sore when you fell off the stage."

"Yes, they are sore. And thanks for catching me, or I would have even more sore that I already do."

"Hey, no problem. Just another chance to have something to blackmail you with later."

"Very funny. It's a good thing that I have a couple of things against you, too."

"Like what, princess? As far as I can see, you didn't even give me a chance before I brought you here. And, if I recall, I had to force you to do that one."

"You know, you're really funny. Having your cousin for a best friend helps me get all the dirt on your screw-ups. The turkey getting stuck on your head might be a good start, then I could follow up with the time that you mmmm..." Tetra muffled me with his hand as the elven princess and her hand maiden walked into the room with a quick _Hrethen_, one of the few words that I can recognize in my foggy state.

"Hello to you, too. I'm getting kind of tired of asking this, but how long was I out?"

"Quite a few hours. Your watchdog here..." Elesmerdia pointed to Tetra, and he slightly tinted. "Wouldn't let us in here until you woke up. You know, the current high priestess said that it's not uncommon to pass out when you grow your wings. Every angel does it. It has something to do with all your past lives connecting at the very moment that they sprout from your shoulder blades. You immediately have a jolt of energy pass through you, and that is what produces the wings that now reside on your back."

I just sat down, rubbing my head. I could feel the tension start to build up in the back of my neck. "I used to be normal. I just thought that I was a freak. But, I never knew just what was ahead of me, so I tried my hardest to look forward. Little did I know, my future contains angels , elves, and for heaven's sakes, _wings_!! Now, it is official. I am a freak show."

"Oh, stop it. You are not a freak show. If you are a freak show, then what am I? A three-ring circus?" Tetra just started to laugh, and I almost joined him, but the tip of my wing caught

inside the chair. I squealed in pain, and jumped up. Was I ever going to get used to them? I sure hoped so, because they were awkward to get through doors with. I got stuck coming into the room, even when it was built for winged angels! Oh well. I guessed that they are a part of me now, whether I like it or not.

"These halls were not originally built for angels. They were originally built for humans. They were the vampire's form of a joke. When the angels expelled them from their halls, they made the door smaller than what they were when they had lived there. Now, the angels have to fold their wings in when they walk through a door. See, you can retract your wings into a fold of skin that blends into your regular skin to appear as if there were no blemishes there, let alone wings. This may save your life one day." The head angel, Theia, said in a calm voice, alerting us to her presence. Tetra, surprised, jumped back, loosening his arms from where they were still wrapped loosely around my shoulders. I jumped slightly, and hovered there for a second before touching down again.

"We better go, Eira. There is breakfast downstairs for when you woke up. Alya and Elesmerdia, would you care to join us? I would enjoy your company, and I'm sure that Eira would too." Tetra jumped in before anyone could ask about my hovering.

I looked at him with my eyelids heavy. I was just sleeping for a while, so why am I still tired? When I went to stand up, I walked about for a few seconds and collapsed. Still semi-conscious, I saw Theia smirk in a contented way, and then walk swiftly out the door. The words in the ancient language screamed in my head so loudly that they were almost inaudible. In my last few seconds of consciousness, I screamed _Piero, Lepus Merand._ I slowly began to regain what I hoped was reality.

Tetra

One minute we were conversing and getting ready to eat, and the next Eira was stumbling over herself. I took it for hunger at first, until Theia excused herself from the room with a smirk. Eira, still staggering around like a drunk, looked at me with empty eyes that nearly broke my heart. They seemed so lifelike, so unreal, yet so familiar. Like something out of a dream. I snapped out of my own state of cloudiness when Eira collapsed. That girl must have bruises up and down her body, from all the times she's fallen over in the last week and a half. She was about to pass out, you could tell, when she screamed, and she fell asleep. At least, I hoped that was sleep. God, I'm so stupid.

Like an angel, especially one that had been ruling for quite a lot of years, if the rumors are true, would give up her seat of power to a fifteen year old girl that barely even knows what it's like to be an angel. Not many people are generous enough to do that. So, once again, I walked over and picked up Eira's seemingly lifeless body. Thankfully, her eyelids were still fluttering open and closed, so I know that she is alive, if only barely. Alya and Elesmerdia have returned to the room, with the Queen of the Angels hog-tied by their feet. I lay Eira on her freshly made bed and walk over to Elesmerdia, who looks furious, blood trickling down her face from a cut on her forehead. "She sent a few curses and a hex toward Alya as she ran at her. Alya dodged them, of course, but I go hit head-on by the hex. She tried to curse our ancestors. We had to fight back not only for the _Oly wre dilect_, but for our people. If she had not been defeated, the elven city would crumble, and our people would lose our immortality," I must have looked confused as she continued. "Our ancestors are what keep us alive forever, and as we are all descended from the _Gerato Muleit, _then our entire civilization would simply fall to its knees."

I looked back at Eira, who was now sitting up dazed, her hand sitting elegantly on her head, where a large bruise is developing from hitting her head on the table when she collapsed. What would she do if she couldn't train with the elves? Would she want to go home, or go back to Tiaren? I was starting to think that we should stay here, together. I didn't know, but it feels like there is something that we need to do while we're here. Like we're meant to be here now. Eira spoke for the first time since waking up, "Can I speak to her? Alone?"

At first, I saw the elves flinch, and look at each other skeptically. Though it was against my instinct, I left the room and the elves followed me. I closed the door, blocking me from sight and sound of the woman I love and the angel that just tried to kill her.

Eira

"Well, Theia, I could have you killed right now. But, I'm not going to. I understand why you did, and I might have done the same if I were in your position. Might. See, you're lucky that you didn't hurt any of my friends, or I would have seen to it personally that you wouldn't have been here for this nice, little discussion." I really sounded more terrifying than I felt, as I was still disoriented from my hit to the head. "But, as for right this instant, I will let you go. But, one more attempt on my life or my adopted family's," I waved my hand around to the door where I was sure that Tetra and the elves had their ears pressed, "anywhere in this castle, and I will kill you. Whether or not you're responsible. And, if you succeed in killing me, there is always Tetra. Alya has already cut off your last assassin's hand. Do you think that she would as much as hesitate to reciprocate what you could do to me?"

Theia just sat there, looking up at me. Then, suddenly, Tetra burst through the door. We looked at each other for a second, and noone spoke. The only sound in the room was the whimpering queen of the angel. Pathetic. " Tetra, I thought that I asked to deal with her myself."

"You did. But then it got quiet, and I assumed that something had happened."

"Nothing happened. It's just that our little friend here," I paused for good measure, "just agreed to give up her little treasure hunt for my life."

If looks could kill, I'd be dead a thousand times over. There wasn't much but glaring going on in that room. Tetra and myself at Theia and Theia at me. I signaled for Alya and Elesmerdia to come in and untie the newly humbled queen and accompany to her to the breakfast hall. "Tetra, please, just stay here."

He just came over, and held out his arms. I folded myself into them and welcomed the warm electricity. If only I could spend eternity like this, just being in love for the first time. We went to go downstairs, but were met by many curious angels, silver wings glistening in the morning sunlight. One ambitious angel approached, her short brown hair and hazel eyes prevalent amongst blond haired and blue eyed dominance. Her voice was soft, barely loud enough to hear, and what we did hear was beautiful, like music from her mouth. "_Girent, reterno ola. _May peace be with you."

"And with you. Tell me, what are all of you doing out here?"

"We came to wish you a happy birthday. Your friend said that today was a marvelous day for you. That you shared a mutual birthday."

I whirled around swiftly, nearly knocking over the first row of girls that stood before me. I had forgotten, with all that we had been through this month. _Wow, I'm sixteen._ Tetra just smiled, and I smiled back, because it was just another thing that we could experience together. "Well, thank you. Could one of you please ask the cook to bring up our dinner? I would like to spend Valentine's Day in my room, if you guys don't mind." And with that, I grabbed Tetra's hand and led him back into my room, where we could talk and not be disturbed in the slightest.

Chapter 10

Coronation, Celebration, and a Big Mess-up

Eira

There's not a lot that I can do while there is so much pressure on me! After our little "talk," Theia ran away. I suppose that it happened while Tetra and I were talking in my bedroom. Oh, that cake was so good! I wonder how they knew that angel food is my favorite type of cake. Maybe they just guessed. It's something that Tetra would find funny, me being an angel. Ha ha. But, I'm getting off topic. Back to my stress. Well, since Theia ran, I'm expected to take over Mt. Olympus! This is not what I wanted. I just wanted to be a simple, normal girl. But no! Of course, I have to be the queen of all angels in Attilica. I just wish that I could go home. Teira must be worried sick. Speaking of Teira, I should call. I haven't talked to her since the first night in the hotel room. I whipped out the phone, and dialed her number slowly.

"Hello?" Even confused, her voice was relief. I missed that voice.

"Teira! You won't believe what is happening!"

"Eira? Is that you? Where have you been? There are rumors that you and Tetra ran away and eloped. It's not true is it?" There were sounds of vomiting in the background.

"No. Are you okay? You sound sick."

"I'm fine. Just a little bit of the flu. When are you coming home? I have so much stuff to tell you!"

"Soon, hopefully. But it will only be a visit. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I have to stay here. I'm the Queen of the Angels now."

"Here. Where is here? And what do you mean angels?"

"The Chosen One, Queen of Angels, and a Magic User. Yep. And did I mention that I have wings? Yeah, and still looking for that brother."

"Well, I guess I'll tell you here. But don't tell Javar!"

"What and why? Is something wrong?"

"Eira, you have to come back within the next month. You'll have to meet your niece."

"Niece? I don't have a niece. I can't even find my brother!"

"Yeah, about that. Eira, I'm pregnant. And Javar is your brother. He just told me yesterday. He found your mother, Eira. He found her. She lives right here in Tiaren. And you couldn't even begin to imagine who it is."

I was dumbstruck for a long moment. When I finally regained my voice, it was shaky. "When did he find out, and why didn't he tell me? All these years of searching and my brother was right underneath my nose? How did he find out? Who is she, and how are you pregnant? When did this happen? And why didn't you call me?"

"Eira, you're doing it again. When you get excited or nervous, you tend to make every sentence a question. And you're doing it again."

"Fine."

"He found out yesterday. He didn't tell you because he didn't know. She found him, and she wants to keep her identity secret until she can tell you herself. And I got pregnant the normal way, and you know what I'm talking about. It happened nine months ago and I did call you, but you didn't call back. So now, she's due in a week and you're going to be her aunt and godmother. We both want you and Tetra to be the godparents."

I just stood there, speechless and trying to absorb all of the information that I had just been told. Tetra took the phone out of my hand and began talking so fast that my already overloaded brain had no time to process what he was saying. Just as I managed to take it all in. I hear Tetra say, "We'd be honored."

Well, I knew what he was talking about, but he didn't even seemed shocked. I held out my hand, motioning for him to give me the phone. He gave it to me, and looked at me expectantly. "Teira, what does your mum think of this?"

"She's fine with it, considering."

"Considering what, Teira? Don't keep me in suspense."

"Considering that Javar and I are getting married! When you get back, I want you to be the maid of honor. When are you coming back? Tetra said that it may be soon."

"Don't worry. We'll be back before she's born. I want to be there for the birth."

"Okay, just make sure to get here safely. You're no good to your niece dead."

"We will. Just make sure that she waits for me. Wouldn't want her to be born without her aunt, would we?"

"Okay. I miss you, Eira. You have been gone for almost a year."

I felt my eyes go wide, and I quickly said, " I miss you too, Teira. Hopefully, we'll be there soon."

After hanging up, I turned to Tetra, and he knew what to do. He turned to the wardrobe, and asked it to pack, laughing while doing so. I went to the door, only to find that all the angels in attendance were leaning on the door. "We'll be gone for about a month. Be careful who you let into the gates, and make sure that you listen to Elesmerdia, who I'm placing in charge until I get back. Don't let anyone disrespect you. Alya, we would be honored if you accompanied us back to Tiaren. Perhaps you could find your tree. There is one in Nagiala's backyard, in the area designated to me. It's possible that it's yours."

"When I get back, the place had better be in the same condition that it is now. Have Anedal send me her spiritual form using," I plucked a golden feather from my wings, which was extremely painful, "this. It should send you right to me. There is also the possibility of a courier. Please, try not to disturb me, unless it is an emergency."

"Okay, ma'am."

We set off later in the day, traveling quickly and trying not to run directly into the vampires. Alya seemed to be on constant edge. When we reached Ishiomara's castle, she was waiting outside for us. I wasn't surprised, due to her psychic ability, but she looked worried. "Mara, what's wrong?"

"You need to get to Tiaren immediately. The baby will be coming in a hour. Teira will need you. If you want to get there in time, you will have to freeze it, Tetra. I don't suggest it, but that is the only way. Because of the area that you will have to stop, it will be harder than anything that you have ever done before."

"Thanks, Mara. Eira, I'm sorry, but I can't try. If I try to use too much of my powers, it could drain all of my life force and it could kill me. I don't know about you, but that is enough could's that I'm not willing to risk it." Tetra looked embarrased.

I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want you to ever do anything that would put your life in danger. Teira will have to wait a little while. Just, hopefully, while in labor, she isn't wearing her combat boots."

Tetra laughed, kissed my cheek, and we began to ride as fast as we could in the direction of the barrier. We only hoped that the barrier would sense our urgency, and allow us through. Teira isn't a very patient person.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Coronation, Celebration, and a Big Mess-up

Eira

There's not a lot that I can do while there is so much pressure on me! After our little "talk," Theia ran away. I suppose that it happened while Tetra and I were talking in my bedroom. Oh, that cake was so good! I wonder how they knew that angel food is my favorite type of cake. Maybe they just guessed. It's something that Tetra would find funny, me being an angel. Ha ha. But, I'm getting off topic. Back to my stress. Well, since Theia ran, I'm expected to take over Mt. Olympus! This is not what I wanted. I just wanted to be a simple, normal girl. But no! Of course, I have to be the queen of all angels in Attilica. I just wish that I could go home. Teira must be worried sick. Speaking of Teira, I should call. I haven't talked to her since the first night in the hotel room. I whipped out the phone, and dialed her number slowly.

"Hello?" Even confused, her voice was relief. I missed that voice.

"Teira! You won't believe what is happening!"

"Eira? Is that you? Where have you been? There are rumors that you and Tetra ran away and eloped. It's not true is it?" There were sounds of vomiting in the background.

"No. Are you okay? You sound sick."

"I'm fine. Just a little bit of the flu. When are you coming home? I have so much stuff to tell you!"

"Soon, hopefully. But it will only be a visit. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I have to stay here. I'm the Queen of the Angels now."

"Here. Where is here? And what do you mean angels?"

"The Chosen One, Queen of Angels, and a Magic User. Yep. And did I mention that I have wings? Yeah, and still looking for that brother."

"Well, I guess I'll tell you here. But don't tell Javar!"

"What and why? Is something wrong?"

"Eira, you have to come back within the next month. You'll have to meet your niece."

"Niece? I don't have a niece. I can't even find my brother!"

"Yeah, about that. Eira, I'm pregnant. And Javar is your brother. He just told me yesterday. He found your mother, Eira. He found her. She lives right here in Tiaren. And you couldn't even begin to imagine who it is."

I was dumbstruck for a long moment. When I finally regained my voice, it was shaky. "When did he find out, and why didn't he tell me? All these years of searching and my brother was right underneath my nose? How did he find out? Who is she, and how are you pregnant? When did this happen? And why didn't you call me?"

"Eira, you're doing it again. When you get excited or nervous, you tend to make every sentence a question. And you're doing it again."

"Fine."

"He found out yesterday. He didn't tell you because he didn't know. She found him, and she wants to keep her identity secret until she can tell you herself. And I got pregnant the normal way, and you know what I'm talking about. It happened nine months ago and I did call you, but you didn't call back. So now, she's due in a week and you're going to be her aunt and godmother. We both want you and Tetra to be the godparents."

I just stood there, speechless and trying to absorb all of the information that I had just been told. Tetra took the phone out of my hand and began talking so fast that my already overloaded brain had no time to process what he was saying. Just as I managed to take it all in. I hear Tetra say, "We'd be honored."

Well, I knew what he was talking about, but he didn't even seemed shocked. I held out my hand, motioning for him to give me the phone. He gave it to me, and looked at me expectantly. "Teira, what does your mum think of this?"

"She's fine with it, considering."

"Considering what, Teira? Don't keep me in suspense."

"Considering that Javar and I are getting married! When you get back, I want you to be the maid of honor. When are you coming back? Tetra said that it may be soon."

"Don't worry. We'll be back before she's born. I want to be there for the birth."

"Okay, just make sure to get here safely. You're no good to your niece dead."

"We will. Just make sure that she waits for me. Wouldn't want her to be born without her aunt, would we?"

"Okay. I miss you, Eira. You have been gone for almost a year."

I felt my eyes go wide, and I quickly said, " I miss you too, Teira. Hopefully, we'll be there soon."

After hanging up, I turned to Tetra, and he knew what to do. He turned to the wardrobe, and asked it to pack, laughing while doing so. I went to the door, only to find that all the angels in attendance were leaning on the door. "We'll be gone for about a month. Be careful who you let into the gates, and make sure that you listen to Elesmerdia, who I'm placing in charge until I get back. Don't let anyone disrespect you. Alya, we would be honored if you accompanied us back to Tiaren. Perhaps you could find your tree. There is one in Nagiala's backyard, in the area designated to me. It's possible that it's yours."

"When I get back, the place had better be in the same condition that it is now. Have Anedal send me her spiritual form using," I plucked a golden feather from my wings, which was extremely painful, "this. It should send you right to me. There is also the possibility of a courier. Please, try not to disturb me, unless it is an emergency."

"Okay, ma'am."

We set off later in the day, traveling quickly and trying not to run directly into the vampires. Alya seemed to be on constant edge. When we reached Ishiomara's castle, she was waiting outside for us. I wasn't surprised, due to her psychic ability, but she looked worried. "Mara, what's wrong?"

"You need to get to Tiaren immediately. The baby will be coming in a hour. Teira will need you. If you want to get there in time, you will have to freeze it, Tetra. I don't suggest it, but that is the only way. Because of the area that you will have to stop, it will be harder than anything that you have ever done before."

"Thanks, Mara. Eira, I'm sorry, but I can't try. If I try to use too much of my powers, it could drain all of my life force and it could kill me. I don't know about you, but that is enough could's that I'm not willing to risk it." Tetra looked embarrased.

I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want you to ever do anything that would put your life in danger. Teira will have to wait a little while. Just, hopefully, while in labor, she isn't wearing her combat boots."

Tetra laughed, kissed my cheek, and we began to ride as fast as we could in the direction of the barrier. We only hoped that the barrier would sense our urgency, and allow us through. Teira isn't a very patient person.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A Birth, A Flower, and New Relationships

Eira

The barrier, god bless it, let us through, and we rode through Tiaren like Dracula himself was chasing us. It took us about forty-five minutes to get to the hospital, despite our haste. When we made it to the hospital, to our relief, Teira was in the waiting room, turning Javar's hand purple. She looked beautiful, her huge stomach protruding over her legs, and one ear glued to the tiny cell phone in her hand. They both looked at us with eyes filled with pain, amazement, and a touch of rejoice. The sight of them was so unfamiliar, it finally hit me. To me, I had seen them only a few weeks ago, but to them, I was gone for a year. Confused, I looked to Tetra, who looked as confounded as I probably did. Looking at the pair again, I slipped my own hand into his and squeezed. Not Teira's death grip, but a slight pressure. He looked down at me, being taller than myself, and squeezed right back. There was a trace of a smile in his worried face. He began to walk over to the stunned couple, before I sent him out of the waiting room to get me a drink.

I walked over to Teira and pulled the cell phone from her hand. Looking down at it, I saw that it was my number she was trying to call. What was wrong with my cell phone? Why wasn't it ringing? I went to check it out, only to discover that it was missing. Writing Tetra off as having taken it, I closed Teira's phone and took her hand in mine. Having loosened her grip on it in shock, Javar's own hand was finally starting to return to its normal color. He smiled at me, an inquisitive smile, almost as if he was seeing me for the first time. I kissed Teira lightly on the cheek, and hugged Javar.

Teira cried out in pain, and resumed her grip on Javar's hand. She looked so miserable. I brushed her black hair off of her moist forehead, and turned to a nurse, who seemed frightened of my golden rose. "Get this girl into a delivery room! She's going to have the baby soon!"

All three of them looked at me in shock. The nurse scurried off, leaving the three of us alone.

"How did you get here so fast? I didn't even call you yet!" Teira motioned to her phone, now dangling from my hip. "And how do you know when the baby is coming? I don't even know that, and I'm the one having the damn thing!"

"Teira, calm down. I know that you are in pain, but you are taking on one of my most hated habits. And you know which one I mean. I'm the psychic girl, remember? How do you know that I didn't see it in a vision?"

"Because you would have mentioned to me if you had started having visions, and as far as I know, you haven't."

I laughed, "Well, that's good. I didn't actually do the Seeing anyway. That was my adopted sister, Queen Ishiomara of Attilica."

Teira's eyes opened wide. "Then, that would make you a princess? Tetra, is he royalty now too?"

"Yep."

"And what about the Queen of the Angels thing? Is that for real?"

"Yep."

"Is it true that Attilica royalty have psychic tattoos on their hips?" This one came from Javar, in a strained voice.

"Yeah, but they really don't help much. See for yourself." I lifted my shirt, ever so slightly, to show off the tattoo resting daintily over my hip.

Teira convulsed in pain again, and I began calling for a doctor. Three male nurses came rushing out, pushing a wheelchair. Two picked Teira off of the hospital seat while the other kept the wheelchair steady. "Family only in the delivery room." the one in the wheelchair stated right to us as we tried to follow the currently screaming woman down the delivery hallway.

"This is my sister." Javar looked at me with tears in his eyes. Whether from pain from his hand, his soon to be a dad status, or the emotion of finally getting the secret out, he probably didn't even know. I nodded, tears starting to form in my own eyes. I heard Tetra call my name from the waiting room, but I ignored him to walk through the swinging doors, where there was a woman who severely needed the help and support of her best friend.

Teira was screaming her head off, and within twenty minutes of pushing, a little girl was placed in the hands of her weeping mother, after an over-joyed father cut the umbilical cord. Tetra walked in slowly, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my shoulder. "Quite the beauty you have there, cuz. What name could possibly fit the expectations of this little one?"

Teira looked first at us, then at Javar, who nodded. "We both like the name Jasmine. Jasmine Marie."

I held out my arms, and Tetra released my waist. Teira handed over the little bundle, and I wrapped my arms around her. She looked up at me, and cooed. I smiled down at her, and began rocking her gently. "So when were you two going to tell us that you were in love?" Teira asked delicately.

We looked at each other and laughed. "Whenever it came up, I guess." Tetra responded, reaching out to hold his goddaughter. I handed her over reluctantly.

"Well, I guess that settles it, Auntie Eira. Your life is never going to be the same." I laughed, both at the absurdity of the new name, and at the truth behind Javar's kind words.

"That is so true, I couldn't even begin to tell you." Jasmine began to cry as Tetra handed her back to Teira.

"How about starting with giving your brother a hug?" Javar held out his arms and I hugged him like I had before we departed. He hugged right back, and everything felt right in the world. Until, at the emotion I was feeling, my wings sprung unwilled from my back. Everyone but Tetra gasped, and the baby immediately stopped her wailing to stare up at me with her light blue eyes.

"Or you can begin by telling us how you got these freaking wings!" Teira said this, absently reaching for Javar's non-bruised hand, yet still staring at me bewildered.

"It's a long story."

"I've got nothing but time. Hell, I'm stuck in here for two more days."

I leaned up against Tetra, and began to unveil what had happened to the two of us in the last few weeks.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Confession, Reflection, and A Shocking Discovery

Eira

After I had told my tale, two of the three, or now four, people I cared about most in this world were left open-mouthed. The other was rubbing my back, as I had been reduced to tears mid-way through the story. Jasmine had long since fallen asleep, and was now snoring softly. Teira gave her to Javar to lay in the provided crib, and looked to her feet, not wanting to meet my eyes. After all that had happened to Tetra and me, I wasn't so sure that I would have wanted to look me in the eye if I were in her shoes, either.

"So, you two were gone for a year here, but only for about a month there?" Teira's voice was very soft, and I wasn't sure if it were due to the sleeping baby, or in disbelief of all that we went through.

"Yeah."

"And now, Tetra's a vampire, and you are an angel."

"That's about how it happened." This was from the previously silent yet prior mentioned vampire.

"Won't he have to feed soon?"

We looked at each other in surprise. We hadn't even considered how the every night feeding would be. We would have to lock ourselves in an apartment, or something, so that noone got hurt. But where?

"You guys are together, right?" Javar asked just as silently as his girlfriend.

"I guess so." Tetra tightened his grip around my waist as I said this.

"And you have, you know?" I knew.

"No."

"Well, then, you're going to have to find somewhere that my beloved cousin can feed, because I won't have any of my family hurt. That includes you, Eira."

"I'll be fine, he's fed off of me before. I just need somewhere that we can lock ourselves off, and where noone will disturb us."

"Then, won't you become a vampire?"

"No." There was no need to explain any further, though it was killing me inside to hold information back from my concerned brother and best friend.

"Okay, visiting hours are over. You'll need to come back tomorrow. Only immediate family of the child are allowed to stay the night." A nurse popped her head in the door. Luckily, she did so slow enough that I could retract my wings.

"You guys can stay in our apartment tonight." Javar threw me the keys. "As long as no one knows you are here, they won't bother you. Though, if you're seen, then people may ask questions. They seem to think the two of you have eloped. The resident Queen and Bad Boy of Naminera getting married has caused quite a stir, and a few broken hearts. Faience has been quite depressed since you ran off, guys. She was hoping to marry you herself."

Faience was the resident gothic queen. Having the power of light eradication has helped her quite a bit in her lifestyle decision. Believe me, it is really annoying to walk into a room, have the lights go out, and run square into an ex-boyfriend, and when the lights go back on, to be found in a bad position. Yes, it has happened to me many a time. So, she obviously decided that the gothic queen and the bad boy king should be together. "Well, what else is new?" I shrugged.

"And poor Auric had decided that he wants you back, only to find that you were married! Oh, he moped for days until that slut, Amara, decided that she wanted his attentions. She was pregnant the last time I saw her."

Auric, the Preppy King, was my last boyfriend. Tetra, knowing this, resumed his nymph grip, and began the skin ripping over again.

"Tetra, do I have to tell you that you are killing my stomach every time that a guy comes onto me? If so, you are going to have to buy me a iron stomach." I smiled up at him to let him know that I was joking. He smiled back, and returned to the normal pressure on my waist.

"If you two don't get out now, I will call security." The dragon of a nurse was back and she was pissed. We hugged the baby, Tetra and I both kissing Teira and Jasmine on the cheek, and I hugged Javar in a sisterly way so I didn't get my ass kicked by the cousin couple. We followed the Dragon out of the hospital to the horses, who we stabled in Nagiala's stable before walking the fifty feet to Javar's apartment. He was banned from the boys' dorm after blowing them up, so I guess Teira moved in here when she got pregnant. To avoid the questions from her room-mates, probably.

It was a very nice apartment, though not as nice as mine. The relator probably sold it when I left town. I wasn't banned from living in the girls dorm, I just didn't want to. I hadn't lived in the girls' dorm since the whole boyfriend/ivy hair thing, which was a year before I left for Attilica with Tetra. Whoever my mother was, she set up a very nice bank account for me, with a large amount of cash inside. I had set it up so the rent was extracted right from it.

Where did they put all my stuff though? I decided to check out the apartment when we woke up tomorrow. Provided I wasn't too weak, that is.

We went to the guest bedroom, where I had stayed many a time when I was too drunk to walk home alone. It would have been way weird to stay in Javar's room, especially since he was my twin. Wow, it just finally sunk in. My twin brother has been my best friend since kindergarten. Shaking off the strange coincidence, I got dressed in the pajamas I had stashed there, and went to raid Javar's closet for Tetra.

When I walked into his room, it was actually clean. Javar is a very messy person, and isn't one to have his room clean. But, you could actually see the floor. I didn't even know he had a floor. Apparently, he does.

His closet was full of normal teenage apparel, and it took quite a bit of rooting until I saw a pair of sweats and a shirt that could be used as pj's. When I got back to our room, Tetra was somehow already dressed in his own clothes, and sitting on the bed, watching tv. "I haven't watched tv in a year, and I still have seen everything on here!" He laughed at the absurdity of it, and I couldn't help joining along. He patted the bed, and motioned for me to sit beside him. I laid in the hollow between his underarm and his chest and settled in to relax. When we finally fell asleep, I made sure that my neck wasn't far enough away that he had to wake me up by moving. Since I was used to the feeding, I didn't even wake up while he was doing it this time. With any other guy, I would have had to stay awake all night to make sure that he didn't take advantage of me while I was sleeping. Tetra not only knew that I would kick his butt, but he respected me enough to let me make the decision as to when it was time for me to make that giant step. I wasn't ready yet. I was very lucky to have fallen in love with someone who respected me, and knew when to not push the issue.

When we woke up the next morning, March 1st, the mark on my neck had already gone away, and Tetra looked refreshed and energized. I felt weak, but not because of the feeding. I was getting used to it, now that it was every night. We got up, and changed into normal Tiaren wear. Since it was still February weather here, I borrowed Teira's long, black boots and wore my warmest pair of jeans with a purple v-neck sweater. Tetra, again pulling clothes out of nowhere, was dressed in a pair of jeans and a leather bomber jacket when I got back from the bathroom where I had changed.

We walked over to my apartment, and were startled to see that it had remained unchanged, yet maybe slightly dustier. I squealed with delight and flopped down onto my satin bed, enjoying the feel of being home. Tetra sat at the kitchen bar and just looked around. He had been to my apartment before, so why was he looking around like he was lost? It wasn't until I went into the bathroom that he moved from his spot on the bar and went to sit on my bed. He had settled in and was beginning to drift off when I walked back in. I sat on the bed next to him. "Hello, sleepyhead!" I waved a hand in front of his face and kissed him on the cheek. "Have a rough night?"

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well until after I fed. You are really sweet, you know that? Your blood, I mean." He stuttered out this last part, as though embarrassed.

"I wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it." I smiled at him again and the embarrassed look disappeared from his face.

He put a hand on my knee, just as the doorbell rang. "Who can that possibly be? I didn't even know my apartment was still mine. How can anyone else know?"

It was Mrs. Nuransi, the writing teacher from Nagiala. "Eira, hello! And Tetra too. The school's disappearance cases are solved, now aren't they? Glad to see that you both are all right."

"Hello to you too. But, no offense, how did you know we were here?"

"Javar called me."

"Why would he do that? Again, no offense."

"Because, Eira. May I sit down? It's freezing out here, and you may want to hear this while you're comfortable."

I went back to my spot on the bed and Tetra put his hand back onto my knee, sleep still apparent in his eyes. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?"

"Not at all."

"Good. Eira, the reason Javar called to tell me that you were back," She drew a long breath and exhaled quickly, almost as if wishing she didn't have to say what she was about to exclaim. "Is because I'm your biological mother. I've kept this apartment paid off in hopes that you would come back."

EN. The initials on the suitcase now in the hallway coat closet. They had been a large pain to carry up the stairs to my penthouse apartment, but we had finally made it, and didn't feel like unpacking them yet. Eira Nuransi. Different. I looked over to Tetra, and was surprised to see that he was fully awake, and was about to speak.

"If you're Eira's mother, then when you dropped off her and Javar, you must have seen my mother there too, right?"

"Yes, she was just leaving. But, I won't tell you until I ask her if it's alright. It took a lot of courage for me to tell Javar that I was his mother after all these years."

"So why did you? Why did you abandon us? You obviously aren't afraid of magic, so why did they lie to me and tell me that you dropped us off like a rotten sack of potatoes because you were afraid of what we could do? Why was Javar adopted immediately, and I was raised in foster home after foster home for six years? Why did you leave us? Why?"

"I was afraid, all right. Just not of your powers. I was sixteen when I had you both, and I was scared. My parents were unsupportive of my pregnancy, and didn't support me at all. My boyfriend left me, and disappeared, the night I told him I was pregnant. I considered everything from abortion, to suicide. I finally decided that open adoption was the best decision. But the foster agency messed up your files, and I never heard of you again. They ripped you from my arms, just after I had named you. I wish that it hadn't have happened like that, that you wouldn't have been split up. I wanted you together. I really did. I made sure that you both had the finances to make you happy. My father set up a savings account for both of you, not wanting his grandchildren to starve. He put a half a million in each of your bank accounts. I made sure that you couldn't track my monthly deposits. I wanted to tell you myself, but it has taken sixteen years of your lives and of my own. I regret it, not getting pregnant, but giving up on you. I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

I couldn't answer her at first. She had surprised me. I would have never thought that my mother would have gotten pregnant so young. But there was one question I wanted answered before I would even consider forgiving her. "Who is my father?"

"Your father, my child, is a man by the name of Lucas Nagiala, the third."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Questions, Answers, and Tracking

Tetra

Eira's mouth fell open. I was surprised myself. Lucas Nagiala? The headmaster? He must have been around seventeen at the time that Eira was born, having taken over the school in his fathers' stead only two years previous. Why hadn't he talked to her?

I was a little disappointed that Mrs. Nuransi wouldn't tell me who my mother was, but at least she knew. And if she could ask her, then she must be nearby! I had given up on finding my mother. Now, I could find her and ask why she had left me. She must be related to Teira as an aunt, but she has eleven of them. How could I get in contact with them all?

I put my hand under Eira's chin, and closed her jaw for her. She must be really shocked if she let her emotions get the best of her like that. At least her wings didn't release yet. "Are you sure that he's my father?"

"Absolutely."

"...Why didn't he talk to me at all the last ten or so years of my life that I was at the school?"

"He may have known that I was pregnant, but he didn't know your names. I never told him after he reappeared. I have kept an eye on the three of you though. I felt as if Tetra were my responsibility too, being close friends with his mother. I will ask her to tell you, Tetra. Don't you worry."

"Thanks."

"No problem. As long as you never break my baby's heart, I will never regret thinking of you as a son."

"There's no need to worry about that. I love Eira, and nothing will ever change the way that I feel about her."

"That's good to hear. I'm really sorry for all of your heartbreak. I really hope that you can forgive me after what I did. I just hope you can understand that fear."

"I forgive you, and I really can understand the fear of unwanted responsibility. I have to deal with a lot of my own, Mom." And with the last words, her wings ejected from her back, and landed gracefully by her sides. And the same look that had been on Eira's face earlier, was now mirrored on her mom.

Eira

Mom was amazed at the golden wings that I had just released. It feels kind of weird, like a tickle, and a pinch at the same time. I remember the feeling of total amazement. And since Tetra had closed my jaw a few minutes ago, I guess I looked identical to the way she does now.

"You...have wings? What happened in the last year?"

"Yep. Long story short, I became a princess, rescued Tetra, was almost killed twice, grew wings, and became queen of the angels. Sound okay to you, Tetra?"

"You switched the wings with the attempted murder and forgot became an aunt and godmother, and falling in love."

"Thank you. I did, didn't I?"

"Wow, you guys have been through a lot."

"Yep, but we're happy." Tetra squeezed my knee, and I laughed.

"I can see that. When are you going back?"

"A month, or whenever Anedal astral's me. Whichever comes first."

"Okay. Well, just make sure that you say goodbye before you leave. I have something that I want you to have, but not until you go back to Attilica."

"Thank you, and please remember to ask Tetra's mom. We would really appreciate it."

"I will."

"Goodbye, then, Mom."

"Goodbye, my child."

She walked out the door, and I shut it before all of the heat rushed out. "So, what do you think?"

"I think, our lives are so screwed up, we don't even know which way is down."

"I agree." I turned around for a minute to pour a glass of water, and when I turned around, Tetra was asleep.

I sighed. "Well, if you can't beat them, join them." I said to no one in particular, as I laid down beside the man I loved, and fell asleep pressed against his chest.

When I woke up the next morning, there were knife points surrounding our bed, and a good many men surrounding my bed. Tetra was still asleep beside me, and I shook him slowly to wake up. When he finally stirred, he swore out loud and sat up.

"_Hrethen, _Eira, good to see that you are finally awake." A familiar voice chilled my veins. Theia was sitting on my kitchen counter, cleaning her nails. "Make a single move, and my men will poke you and the boy with enough holes that you could be considered a pincushion."

I just sat still, and began to think. Aleiansha was running through my head but none of the words were appropriate. I nudged Tetra slowly with my knee and mouthed the word go. He understood immediately and stopped the guys in their motions. After unfreezing me, we slipped out of my bed, and behind the men. I tied up a frozen Theia, and motioned for him to unfreeze the guards. They spun on their heels and began a stabbing motion towards the small kitchen we were standing in.

"_Steren, iunster olas. Dernst minst. Sirunden yiew wioma." _The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. I had no idea what I had said, but knew that it was good when they dropped the daggers into a pile at my feet.

"Didn't I tell you if you attempted to take my life or any of my family's, that I would kill you?"

Her eyes widened and shot daggers of hatred out of her eyes.

"I guess I did, then. I gave you fair warning. I'm really sorry that it had to end this way, but it really was your own fault. Silly maiden, you expect me to show you mercy after three attempts on my life? No. _Drietna, und fervera._" Theia's head flopped to the side, and sheclosed her eyes.

"Did you kill her?" Tetra's eyes were wide open, and staring at me.

"No. She is only asleep. She has lost her wings, and she will forget she was ever a Kerya, about you, me, and the elves, and the location of the sacred mountain. I'll send her to a mental hospital, and have them take care of her. After all, she doesn't remember the last fifteen years of her life."

Tetra wrapped his arms around me and held me close. "It seems as if you are in danger of dying everyday now. I can't always protect you, but it seems like you can protect yourself well enough. That will have to do for now. And, speaking of the elves, where's Alya? I haven't seen her since we sent her into Nagiala School to find her tree."

"Neither have I. She may have gone back to Attilica."

"Well, try to astral to her. She gave me her dagger in case of an emergency."

I laid down on my bed, and held the dagger in my hands. I pictured Alya, and felt the familiar rush of transporting myself. Alya was standing next to Elesmerdia, and staring at me. "Eira, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all. I just needed to come back here to switch places with Elesmerdia. It's her tree in your garden, Eira, not mine. Which means that your mother or father is elf friend, and a most important one at that. If someone found out that the princess of _Herasha Luenta_ or Tuatara, to you humans, was connected to a huon tree in the garden of the Kerya, they would capture it and use it as a bargaining chip to get into our land. We have a great many secrets, and that tree is the center-piece in keeping them. We need to relocate the tree to the land of the elves, and we need to do it quickly. We will send a few elven warriors to move the tree, but we need your permission to do so."

"Of course, whatever it takes. Just, next time, tell us when you leave. We were attacked by Theia and wondered if you were all right."

"You were attacked? Are you and the boy safe?"

"We are fine, and Theia is no longer a problem."

"That's what you said the last time."

"I know. I know. Just be safe, okay?"

"Okay. Goodbye."

I returned to my room, and Tetra was standing over me. He was just a little too close for my comfort. Even though I liked having him near me, his face being so close to mine when I first came around was a little weird, especially with his new vampire fangs. "She's fine, and would you get off of me, please?" I shoved him playfully, and he got off. "The huon tree in my garden is Elesmerdia's and she needs to get it out of there. So, we are going to be there when the elves come and take it away. Hopefully, they'll replace it with a new tree, so there's no big hole in the ground."

"Do we have to go right now? Teira just called to say that she's out, and is bringing Jasmine over here. Javar forgot to baby-proof the place, and she needs her here until he's finished. Apparently, she thought her feet would never touch the floor due to an extremely loving set of godparents."

"Well, she thought right. Not that Jasmine will move yet. She's only two days old, for gosh sakes!"

"Yeah, well, mommy and daddy seem to think that she's going to start walking around, sticking her fingers in every socket and wedging herself behind the couch at two days old. Now, I have no doubt that she'll be a genius, but even Einstein didn't walk that early."

We both had a good laugh at this, and were watching television when Teira walked through the door, holding my darling niece. She handed her to me immediately, and flopped down on my bed like she used to do. "She has kept me awake for two days straight. Hopefully, she quiets down when she gets used to our apartment. Unless, Auntie Eira wants to spread those gorgeous wings all night to keep her in awe?"

"No way! I don't get enough sleep with this baby sucking on my neck every night! How am I supposed to get to sleep with my wings open, in a straight chair, and a baby on my lap? I'd drop her!"

"I'm sure you wouldn't. But, you're right. Hopefully, I can get some sleep while I'm here." She closed her eyes.

Tetra scoffed. "Then go back to the guest bedroom. The only people sleeping on this bed is me and the angel."

Teira's eyes widened. "Then you guys–"

I raised a hand to interrupt her. "No, and we won't until we both decide that it's the right time, and that we are ready for the possible consequences."

"Like pregnancy?" Teira looked hurt, as if I had insulted her.

"Now, would I ever regret this beautiful, little, angel child?"

"Watch how you use that word now. Even though it's a good thing, you don't want to jinx her of following in her auntie's shoes and becoming an astral maiden."

"Then, she'd be even more beautiful, as her silver wings would match her silver eyes." They had turned a light blue, almost silver.

"Let's hope so."

"Get your booty into the guest bedroom. My niece and I will be just fine. I won't let Tetra cloud her mind with perverted thoughts, I promise. Though, he shares enough of them, so that may be difficult."

"Thank you. You really don't know how much this means to me."

"I think I do."

And as I gazed down at the beautiful little girl that was my niece, I really did.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 15

The Witch, The Snitch, and The Father

Eira

When we got to the apartment, there was a lot of crying, and whining, and none of it was coming from the baby. Teira was in a corner, with her arms curled around her knees, crying. "Stop her, please! She's driving me insane!"

"Where's Javar?"

"He's in the other corner waiting for his mother to stop yelling at him. Don't go in there. You will be screamed at, and I wouldn't want that beautiful blonde hair ripped out by the roots."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Eira? Is that you, hun? How are you? I haven't seen you in over a year!" Bica, Javar's adopted mother, walked into the foyer, and took me into a hug. "Have you lost weight? You're too thin. Come, eat. I suppose that Teira hasn't been feeding you the way that she should."

"I've been away the last year, and Teira has been stuffing my face since I got back. Even with Jasmine." I defended my poor downtrodden friend, who was traipsing behind her soon-to-be mother-in-law. She looked at me gratefully, and you could the tears she was desperately fighting glisten in her eyes.

"Be that as it may, you are too thin. Come, there are brownies in the kitchen. I brought them since Javar has been wasting away too."

"I'm fine, mother." You could hear his voice from the other room.

"Hello, Bica." Tetra reappeared from parking the car by the curb.

"Tetra, my dear, I can't believe I've never had the pleasure to meet my nephew! I've heard so much about you, love."

"And I about you."

"Don't listen to them. I'm a sweet old lady who is only trying to help her future daughter-in-law."

"I've heard only good things." He whispered into my ear. "About her lung capacity."

I fought the urge to laugh, but couldn't conceal the grin. "What, pray tell, is so funny? Noone has told any jokes." Bica snapped.

"I was just remembering how delicious your brownies are. I must have one. Care to join me, Tetra?"

"Of course. Brownies are my favorite food."

We walked into the kitchen, and once the door was firmly shut, began laughing hysterically. "That was the most vindictive conversation I have ever had in my life."

"Oh, really? I've had worse." He stopped laughing long enough to stand up straight.

"With who?"

"This one guy that I didn't like. You may know him." He was so mysterious, and I hated that he was keeping something from me.

"Tell me. I have ways of making you tell, you know."

"Yeah, I know. You wouldn't want to prove that, would you?" A sly smile split across his face and I dug my elbow into his ribs.

"Just tell me who it is, or there will be no dinner for you tonight. Food, blood, or otherwise."

"Fine, it was this guy you used to go out with. He was spreading rumors that you were easy. I pummeled him after talking with him for a long time. There was quite a lot of vindictive conversation." He sat on the barstool located in the kitchen beside the sink.

"Tell me who it was will you?" I walked close, but not close enough for him to touch. He reached out to grab me, and nearly fell off the stool. After regaining his composure, he looked up at me with the whimpering eyes of a puppy.

"It was Auric. He was saying that you gave it up the first date, and I knew that you weren't like that, even before we went off for Attilica. So, I defended you, and kicked his ass." He reached out again, and this time I let him grab my elbow and spin me toward him.

"My knight in shining armor." I sat on his lap in the barstool and leaned my head against his chest. I felt him reach his arm out for something, and a brownie was shoved into my mouth.

"Thwanks." I attempted to speak through the chocolate mass inserted into my mouth.

"No problem." He had already wolfed down his brownie.

"Are you sure that you're not part-werewolf? You inhaled that brownie pretty quickly for a normal teenager."

"But I'm not the normal teenager. My mouth is two times bigger than your average vampires."

"Thank you for admitting it. I've known that for about two months now."

"You can't do that! I'm the funny one in this relationship."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really." He smiled down at me, and leaned down to give me a kiss. I was nipping his lip when Bica walked in with Javar on her heels. "So my nephew and my adopted daughter are caught! I'm guessing you two are engaged as well?"

We shot a single glance to each other both answered at the same time, "Not yet, Bica."

"Ahhh. You know it's true love when they can read each others minds. Don't worry, Eira. I won't tell anyone. We wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea, now would we?"

"No, Bica, we wouldn't." I looked at Tetra with a laugh readying itself on my lips.

"Well, it's about time we leave. Is Jasmine asleep?" Tetra asked.

"Of course not. Teira hasn't fed the poor dear yet. I offered to do it, but she said that Eira was the best person to do it. She said something about you having a unique connection with infants."

"Yeah. When it comes to children, Eira's almost angelic." I squeezed his hand harder than I should have. I felt him wince, and looked down at our joined hands. There was already a bruise developing. I looked at him with what I hoped was an apologetic look, and gently pulled him off of the barstool with me. Hands still joined, we walked toward the nursery, and toward the quiet whining of the baby. As soon as we walked into the room, Jasmine began cooing and reaching up to grab the hair that was draped over the side of the crib. Namely mine.

"Hey Jasmine! That's Auntie Eira's hair! Please let go." I spoke calmly, and she brought her little fist, my hair still cascading from it, and rubbed it against her face. It was so cute, I had to let her continue. After a while, I pulled it gently from her grasp, and slipped it back over my ear.

She reached up again, and cooed softly. I melted immediately, and gave her my hand. She tugged on the skin of my finger, and fell asleep instantly.

I grabbed Tetra and we walked quietly out of the nursery. As we walked out the door, we heard crying of a different sort coming from the bedroom we had been staying in only a few days prior. Teira was lying on her bed, her face buried into Javar's chest, crying softly. I walked over to her and muttered, _Drietna._ Her eyes closed and she went limp onto the bed, chest rising and falling silently.

Javar looked at me, Teira, Tetra, then back to me. "What did you do? I know you wouldn't hurt her, but she hasn't slept like this in almost six months. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, she has been tossing and turning all night."

"I simply told her to sleep in the ancient language. She will wake up refreshed and renewed in the morning."

"Thank you, Eira. I'm sorry that my mom is being insane. She really does love me." Javar defended her.

"I know. Did you tell her about you and me yet?"

"Not yet. That can wait until just before she leaves. Before you go, could you cast that spell on me? I really need my energy if I'm going to deal with both Bica and Jasmine tomorrow."

"Of course. I'll let Bica know to feed the baby when she wakes up. She's sleeping right now, as you should be." I repeated the incantation, told Bica to feed Jasmine, and Tetra and I walked to the car. While inside, we sat in total stillness for awhile, and sighed at the same time.

"Will our lives ever get any easier?" Tetra turned to me, and turned off the car.

"Not likely. Face it, we're Attilicans now. We'll never be just Eira and Tetra again." Just saying it finally made me realize what I was now into. It broke the wall I had built inside, and I began to cry.

"Hey now, no tears. It'll be all right. We have each other, and the elves, not to mention that my spit-fire of a cousin will always be there to back up her main girl." He pulled me over the center console, and settled me into his lap, my head over his shoulder. I cried long and hard while he rubbed my back comfortingly. After a while, I could get control of my emotions and was able to stop crying long enough to let Tetra get us home.

"Well, I was thinking that we could go for a swim, but how's about we just sit in the house and talk?" He looked at me with concern and love in his eyes, and I knew that he cared more about what I wanted to do than what he wanted to do.

"Swimming sounds great. We can talk later. But first," I paused for dramatic effect, "Food!"

He laughed and we went out for a nice, all-American dinner. After eating a good meal of hamburgers and french fries, we went swimming for about an hour, until I could see Tetra beginning to yawn. I don't know if you've ever seen a vampire yawn, but it can be pretty scary.

"Okay. Well, I can see that you're tired. Shall we retire, Master Tetra of the Vampires?" I curtsied.

"We shall, Queen Eira of the Angels." He bowed and offered his arm. I accepted, and we walked up to our room in all of our swim-suited glory, laughing the whole way.

When we walked inside, there were streamers and presents sitting all over the apartment, and cards laying everywhere. As I went to the couch in complete shock, fifty different Nagiala students popped out from all over the apartment.

"Surprise!!"

"Why are you in my house?" I didn't mean to sound mean, but the tone came out that way.

"Well, we're here for the wedding shower." A blond from my History of Magic class looked at me as if she were completely confused.

I looked at Tetra, and he looked back at me. "How many times do we have to say this? We are not getting married!"

"But, then why would she..." The blond stopped quickly as though she was about to reveal a secret and had only just stopped herself in the nick of time.

"Who's she? We have stomped on any rumors that have been floating around." Tetra walked up behind me as he spoke, and wrapped a towel around me. In the chaos, I had forgotten that I was still in my bikini.

"Well, we'll be going now."

Everyone began walking toward the door, and I nudged Tetra. He froze everyone, and I closed the door mentally. "Someone. You," I pointed to a plump redhead partially in the foyer. "Tell me who told you to break into my apartment, scare the living daylights out of us, and throw us a wedding shower when we aren't even getting married?"

"Ummm... Well. I really don't remember who it was."

"Oh you don't?" Tetra seemed to know more than he was telling me.

"Nope." She looked scared.

"Well, I really think that you do. Because, I received an invitation by email yesterday from a certain "Darkismysavior". I've received email from that person before, and it was always the same person. Wasn't it, Faience?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Nimbusia."

"Oh really? Then why is there a spell coating on your shirt, and a chunk of black hair in this fake red hair? Why haven't I ever seen you around? I know all of the chicks at this school." I was too busy looking at him in awe to notice what he had said.

"I'm new, and I just dyed my hair."

"That doesn't explain the spell coat."

"Hold up, I can solve this." I walked up to 'Nimbusia' and put a hand on her still frozen forehead. "_Redicat_."

The sight that unfolded before me was rather disgusting. The red hair all fell out, the body melted, and the clothing turned a foreboding color of black. The hair that was left was now the same dark shade as the clothing. In essence, in front of me was Faience, and she was pissed.

"There you go." I returned to Tetra, and allowed him to wrap his arms around my toweled waist.

"Thank you. Why, Faience?"

"Because you sold out. You ran off with this slut and left town. You left all rebels to mourn the loss of our beloved leader. We thought that you were dead! Until just a few days ago, of course, when we were in front of the school and a bunch of girls had gathered around something of interest. When I saw your little Barbie doll there heading for the mass, I knew. I knew you were back, yet you hadn't returned to the people you had once called your family." She had by now called me two very insulting names and I wasn't having it. I was about to knock her head off her shoulders when Tetra held me back. I looked up at him, and he looked down at me. He knew I was upset, and by asking me to hold back my anger, he was really asking me to show how much I loved him. I calmed myself down, and ignored the daggers shooting from Faience's eyes. "I would thank you to please leave. All of you" He unfroze everyone, and they all headed out in an orderly fashion. Except Faience.

"Why, Tetra?"

"Because I felt a calling to her. She needed me. And I knew that I needed her."

"But she goes against everything that we believe in!"

"Everything that you believe in maybe, but for now, I believe in angels, and vampires."

"Angels? Since when have you believed in angels? I can understand the vampires, but angels have never been your style. Awesome teeth by the way. Where did you get them done?"

"Let's just say that I had them done far away, and you'll never be able to copy the look. And I began believing in angels about the time that I left. And," he added for my ears only, "when I fell in love with one."

"Well, then I will be going. I hope you two are happy together. See you around, Tetra." Sarcasm dripped off of her words.

"Not likely. We'll be leaving town soon."

She huffed, and stomped out the door, leaving us alone. "Well, that could have gone better." He flopped onto the sofa, the only area uncovered by presents.

"On the bright side, we now have presents! Want to see what they thought was appropriate for a wedding?" He laughed as he spoke and I was relieved at his good mood.

"Well since I haven't let anyone but my closest friends into my apartment," I heard him mutter a "so everyone's been here" and I sat on him. "As I was saying, since I don't let just anyone into my sanctuary, there are probably a lot of blenders and microwaves. Probably a bit of lingerie."

"Oohh." That got his interest, as I knew it would. "Care to try that on?"

"Only if you are far, far away. I don't need my half-naked body plastered all over the internet. Speaking of which, where did you get on the internet? You were with me the whole day."

"I made it up. I knew what Faience's screen name was, and I used it to my advantage. Besides, I would have spotted that totally cheesy guise anywhere."

"Well I for one was impressed. That was some amazing sleuthing you did there."

"My mom enrolled me in Boy Scouts when I was younger."

"You know what they say about Boy Scouts, right?"

"No, what?"

"That all of them are gay."

"Well, Princess, you would know better than them if that were true."

"Well, I'll have to alert the tabloids that the rumors are all right..whoa!" In the blink of an eye, Tetra was on top of me, and was smiling down with desire in his eyes.

"Well, I for one am hungry again. How about you?"

"Well, I could go for a.." the sentence trailed off as Tetra bit into my neck and began feeding. I had been asleep most of the times when he had done it, and had never really felt the actual feeding. It was amazing, like I was connecting with him on a totally different level.

When he was finally finished, I was weaker than I had ever been, and glad to be so. He had to carry me over to the bed, and bring me a glass of water before I could even concentrate. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drink that much. But you are just so damn sweet..." He stopped and I could see the worry in his eyes had replaced the recent desire. I stopped him by putting two fingers to his lips.

"Don't. There is no need to be sorry. You need to drink, and I have to understand that. I would rather be weak for ten minutes than let you have the weight on your conscience that you killed someone."

"And that is why I love you."

"Really? I thought it was for the awesome wings and the stimulating conversation."

"Well, that too. And the fact that you're sexy as hell doesn't hurt. But it's your personality that really attracted me to you. At first, you were the one that got away. Now, you're the one that will never get away again."

"Wow. More names."

He laughed and flopped onto the bed beside me. "Still think I'm gay?"

"Not at all. But the tabloids will have to be depressed that there is an exception to their major classifications."

"We still have to open our blenders. Wait to call the press until after we're done."

"Fine, but they'll have to reprint everything. The people of the nation will be irritated."

"Too bad. Well, look at this." He held up a black and purple bustier with matching underpants. He held up a gift tag with bells on it. "'Didn't think you guys were getting married yet. Good for you. Teira.' Well, now that we have it, what do we do with it?"

"I will hide it away until the time comes that I wish to wear it. Whether you get to see it will depend on your behavior until such a time."

He smiled and laughed. "I'll be an angel, I swear."

"You can't say that anymore and you know it. Besides, you don't want the wings."

"Maybe so. They're wicked sweet"

"Well, how about we get back to our gift unwrapping?"

So we went on for about three hours and our grand total was: Five blenders, three more sets of lingerie(All of which were put away. Honestly, how many sets of undergarments can a person use?), two toasters, and a bouquet of rotten flowers(Faience). "Well, I was right about the blenders." I stood up to throw away the flowers, and I felt light-headed for the moment that I was up.

"That you were. Good thing all but the lingerie had receipts. That way you can't sneak off and return them while my back is turned."

"Now, why would I do that? It gives me stuff to wear around the apartment while you're away."

"Very funny. How do you know that I don't have this place bugged?"

"I would have noticed. I would have seen you put them up."

"I may have frozen you."

"If you did, I will kick your ass. Speaking of which, why didn't I freeze the last time you stopped the room? I was still able to talk and move without you unfreezing me."

"That, my dear, is because you are joined with him spiritually and physically, as he is to you." A male voice called out from the depths of the apartment. It was an eerie voice, one that I had heard only once before. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise up. "Still haven't figured out who I am, my daughter?"

Lucas Nagiala the third stepped out into the living room, and Tetra wrapped an arm around me, as if to pull me behind him. "What do you want?"

"Only to speak to my daughter for the very first time. Or rather, the second. Or does the time that you were called into my office for magical examination count?"

Tetra looked at me, and I almost began to cry. "When I was five, I was just bouncing from a foster home with fourteen children. The mother was always working, and the father was always hitting the kids. He used to molest me. He wouldn't have if he would have known of my telekinesis, because I used my hair to cover my rose. To the other kids, anyone different was weird. This was my sixth foster home, and at all the others, I was the freak. They got rid of me as soon as possible because of my magic, and for once I wanted to fit in. When the mother was home, it was all 'look at beautiful Eira. She will be a knock-out when she grows up.'" Tetra pulled me closer to him, and stroked my hair as I relived my painful past. "Her attention made me an outcast, and I would cry myself to sleep. When I finally revealed my true self to get them to leave me alone, I was sent to Nagiala, and was rid of my foster care families forever. The first day I got here, I needed to be tested, since I had no control over my magic. The other children all had training, either by magical parents, or by nuns in the orphanages that they grew up in. I was scared when I walked into the headmasters office that day, and he had me sit. I looked up to where the man's head was supposed to be, only to see shadow. His voice was cruel and ruthless, and his son was no better. He came in to take me out, and couldn't have been anymore than twenty five years old. He took me to my dorm and spoke to me for the very first time. He repeated those hated words, 'look at beautiful Eira.' I cried for hours, and after that, I could hear his voice in my dreams. Now I know why the son was back, and why he made it so important to take me to my dorm that night. Because he knew he was my _father_." I spat the last word at him, finally piecing together the jigsaw puzzle that was my life.

"Indeed, I knew. How could I not? You inherited my cheeks and my nose, my lips and my smile. Your mother's hair stood out on you, and I would never forget how those eyes would shine in fear, and in joy. You had that look of joy, Eira, when you first stepped into the school. But, that light was gone when you stepped out of my father's office. He never knew, Eira, that you were my daughter. I never told him. If he had known, you would have been kicked out of the school simply for being born. I couldn't allow that to happen. So I made sure that you were always exempt from punishment, and no word of your achievement got back to him at all. If he would have called you in to congratulate you, he would have figured it out. My father was a smart man. Smart, but cruel. He wouldn't care that you were at the top of your class, or that you were extraordinarily powerful. He would have booted you out, and you would have had to have gone back to foster home after foster home until you were eighteen. I said those words not to harm you, but to quote how I knew you would be."

"How did you get in?" By this time, I was reduced to tears, and Tetra was holding me against his chest as he had done in the car.

"I got in the same way as everyone else. Through the pseudo wedding shower. I simply hung out on the balcony while everyone else made fools of themselves."

"How did you know the party was fake?" I demanded, not caring that this was the man that sired me.

"I get news from Attilica. I knew that you were alive, and well, and that you were adopted into the royal family. I knew that Tetra was kidnaped, and that you were given two power enhancements in a short amount of time. I would have heard if you had gotten engaged. After that, you dropped off the face of the earth for almost a year. I tried to have my agent find you, but the news came back to me that he was either dead, or had lost some kind of limb."

I sat up straighter, and almost smashed Tetra's jaw. "Sorry. Was the limb he was missing a hand, by any chance?"

I felt Tetra inhale behind me, and I knew that he had just figured it out a little.

"Yeah, I think it was. But how did you know that?"

"Because he tried to kill Eira. Alya of the elves sliced it off to keep him from strangling her to death, which almost happened." Tetra spat out with venom in his tone.

"Well, he was supposed to be the best. 'Never seen', is what they told me. 'Track down your little miss, he will. Never lose sight of her.'"

"Well, then he did his job. I never knew he was following us. He did more than his job in fact." I reached up to my neck, where there was still minor bruising from his hands.

"And for that, he will pay with his life, if he isn't already dead as a doornail. A lot of the people that I talked to trying to find him wanted his head on their mantle."

"Why do you care? If you knew I was your daughter all this time, why didn't you tell me, Mother, or Javar that you knew? We would have kept it silent."

"I didn't know about Javar until around three years ago. He was harder to figure out. His dark hair, and thin lips made him harder to spot. He had no look of joy, he was just there to avoid all the gibe."

He looked at his watch, and toward the door. "I have an appointment in ten minutes. Come back to school on Monday, if you're still here. There's something I have to show you. Something that you might find very interesting."

"Well, goodbye." I opened the door.

"No hug for your dear old dad?"

"No father of mine would have abandoned me for nine years. You are my sire, and that is all you will be to me until you can prove that you are worth my love." I spoke coldly, and I knew that it cut deep. His eyes fell, and dulled for a moment as he walked out the door.

"Well, that was dramatic." Tetra was already on the bed.

"I found my mother and father in a matter of a week, when I had been searching for over sixteen. I'm sorry that we haven't found your mother yet." I snuggled in beside him, and closed my eyes. It had been a rough day.

"We will. I can wait. I have for sixteen years. I can wait for

another year or so."

"I wish I had your patience."

"You do."

I fell asleep lightly that night, and woke up the next morning feeling like I had gotten no sleep at all. I had tossed and turned, and waited for the questions to stop coming, but they never did. I would have to face it. I would never be normal. My parentage proves that. My mother is a teacher that all the boys have crushes on, and my father is the headmaster that everyone fears, male or female. I just hoped that my destiny wouldn't be the same.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Babysitting, Removal, and a Severe Crisis

Eira

When Teira finally woke up, Jasmine was asleep, and I hadn't even had to result to my wings. She was in shock as she walked out of the guest bedroom, and saw her beautiful, snoring daughter. "Can I leave her with you more often?" She chuckled, and the baby tossed a little.

"I'd be happy to, you know that I would. But, Javar called, and said that his adoptive mother is at the apartment. Having met the witch, you may need to bail his butt out. You need to get there fast."

"I agree. She hasn't seen Jasmine yet, but she wasn't very happy that I was pregnant."

"She'll change her mind when she sees her. How can you resist this face?" I held the little one up to my own face and pouted. Teira laughed again and went to take her daughter. As soon as she was in her arms, Jasmine began to cry. Teira cast me a pleading glance. Feeling obligated, I gave my best martyred sigh, and spread my wings. She quieted immediately. There was a relieved sigh from the mother, and Tetra began to laugh. I retracted my wings, and fell down onto my bed. I love my little niece, but she is exhausting.

After Teira and Jasmine had left, Tetra and I got ready to go to the park. When we got there, there were already three elven warriors beginning to lift the tree out of the soil. Elesmerdia was no where to be seen.

"Where is Elesmerdia?"

A tall elf with blue eyes was the first to speak. He appeared to be in charge of the excavation team. "She is still in Mt. Olympus. She needs to stay somewhere where she will be safe. Thank you for allowing us to remove your tree. It will be replaced of course."

"With another huon?"

"We would like to, we really would. But, there have been no children born in the last month. If there were, the parents would be honored to have the tree in an area protected by the _Gerato Muleit_. It will be replaced by a cherry blossom tree. They are quite beautiful."

"I know that they are. Thank you for your effort. I really appreciate it, and I know that you are using time that you could be home with your families."

"_Tiatra, reterno ola._"

"There's no need to be formal. Please, just call me Eira."

"Thank you, Eira. It makes you seem more normal."

"I am normal. I just happen to be the queen of the angels and have wings coming from my back." I paused when I realized what I had said, " You're right, I am a total freak."

"Never a freak, _Oly wre dilect_, just a little different."

"Thank you..."

"Furealt."

"Thank you, Furealt. It means a lot to me."

"No problem, just doing my job." And with that, he was gone.

I turned to speak to Tetra, only to discover that he had disappeared. I began walking back to the apartment, only to discover a horde of girls surrounding something. As I pushed my way through the crowd, I realized that Tetra was playing the victim. I made my way to him, and he smiled at me. "Everybody, QUIET!" I screamed, having gotten a headache due to their consistent squealing and screeching. Silence enveloped us as they realized who I was.

"Eira?"

"Anybody mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

Everybody began talking all at once, and it was all I could do to understand one or two, let alone the mass herd that had gathered.

"We were just-"

"It was nothing-"

"One person at a time. You, Realat, what is happening?" I pointed to a cute brunette that was in my Health and Magic Class.

"We were-I mean, we were just-."

"Spit it out already!"

"We were just trying to find out if the rumors were true. Whether you two were married."

"No."

A collective sigh rang through the group and a few lunged forward to grab Tetra's arm. He walked up to me in the crowd to grab hold of my waist. "However, though we're neither married or engaged, we are still together, and there is nothing that is going to change that." His deep voice floated over me, and his words warmed me inside. I blushed and looked up at him, only to have him kiss me. Whether it was to make a point or just wanting to kiss me, I think I'll never quite know. The girls disbanded with a groan, and we headed back to the apartment to crash. We watched television for awhile and went for a swim. By the time we got back, it was dark, and we were exhausted. Oh well, another day in the crazy life of an angel!

"All these names for me, and at one point and time, I thought the only thing I would ever be called is wretch!" I exclaimed to Tetra as the three elves finally finished removing and replacing my huon tree the next day. As they passed, they each used a different name for me.

"Well, there's not a lot we could do about that now, but I can make sure not to call you wretch in the future." Tetra chuckled from his position by the wall fifteen feet behind me.

"Do I smell or something?"

"Other than that morning breath, no. Why?"

"You're abso-freaking-lutely hilarious, you know that?"

"I know, I know. Women love a funny man."

"Well, this funny man had better come a little closer to his woman, or I may have to revise that statement."

"Ohh, I'm scared." Nevertheless, he was right beside me before I could blink.

I leaned into his chest, and realized that today was actually somewhat normal. There were no attacks, no accidental wing expansion, and no magic.

"Javar and the family are coming over again later. Apparently, they can't get her to stop crying and whining, and are about to have a nervous breakdown."

"The baby is whining that much?" She hadn't cried once for me.

"Who was talking about Jasmine? I was talking about the grandmother I've heard so much about. Apparently, they can't get her to shut up, and Teira's had enough."

"I would too. That woman really needs to chill out. Once, she criticized me on my grades. Mine!"

"Aren't you a straight A student?"

"Yep."

"Wow, then we had better not show her my report card, or she may just die from orgasmic delight."

I chuckled at this, because I knew his grades weren't that awfully bad. Having him live with your best friend tends to let you overhear a few things. Like, for example, a congratulatory telephone call from his adopted mother.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Roses, Boxes, and Shopping

Eira

When I woke up, Tetra was gone, and all the blenders were lined up on the kitchen counter. Every one had a dozen white roses sticking out of the top, and a ribbon tied around the base. Around the center blender, which happened to be one that I already had, was a piece of paper tied with a purple ribbon. _ Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty! If you're reading this, then I am already on my way to Nagiala to sort out a few things. I'll be back as soon as I can, so stay put. Teira will be dropping by at around noon, and I want everything to be perfect until she does. There are a bunch of different breakfast items in the fridge, and I have set it up so that there are a couple of things sent up to your apartment at around ten. Now is your opportunity to try on those sets of lingerie, I won't be home for a while, to which I sigh._

_Love you, Tetra_

I laughed, and went to the fridge. Inside, there was indeed a plethora of delicious things to eat. I grabbed a bagel and shoved it into one of our new toasters. After it popped, I spread cream cheese onto it, and began to run my bath. Ten minutes later, I was soaking when the doorbell rang. "Oh all the times, why now? I guess it's true, everyone always comes calling when you're in the bath."

I wrapped a towel around myself, and went to open the door. Standing just outside was a man holding a bouquet of roses, and a small wrapped box, just large enough for a blender. "Miss Eira Nuransi?"

"That's me. Did Tetra send you?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to reveal my sources. Have a good day."

"Thank you."

I looked down at the package in my hand, and then to the clock. It was only nine a.m. and Tetra had said that the package would be delivered at ten. "What is he up to now?"

I unwrapped the first package, only to find another one inside. I laughed and pulled out the second box. There were two more boxes inside, leading to a small box, not large enough for anything. I opened it, expecting to find another box inside. Instead, there was a ring, and a small note wrapped around the band.

_Eira, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?_

There was no signature, but I didn't need one. I began to weep silently and Tetra came out from the foyer to the main living room. He looked at me, and came beside the bed. "Eira, I love you, and I know that I said that I wanted to wait, but I can't take it anymore. Knowing that we could die any day, and that we may not have the chance to get married is killing me inside. So, Queen Eira Nuransi of the Attilican astral maidens, will you marry me?"

I looked down at him, and was nearly speechless. I managed to stop crying long enough to answer. "Yes, Tetra, I will."

He scooped me up and twirled me around. When he set me down, we just stood there for a moment. "Yeah, I never thought that I would get engaged wearing only a towel."

He laughed, and brushed a lock of blonde hair out of my eyes. "It makes everything a little more normal, doesn't it?"

"No."

We both laughed, and I went into the bathroom to change into my clothes. "I never got to finish my bath." I walked out of the bathroom still tying the strap on my halter top.

"Well, I think that you can do that anytime."

"That I can." I smiled up at him, and he kissed me.

"Well, that's a first." He looked around as if expecting someone.

"What is?"

"Well, it used to be that every time we would kiss, someone would either walk in, or make some kind of comment."

"Yeah, they did, didn't they? I never really noticed."

"I thought that it would be obvious. Well, go ahead. Call my cousin to let her know that you said yes. I'm sure she's waiting by the phone."

"You told her?"

"Yeah. I had to wait for you to wake up. I followed the messenger in, just before you closed the door. You didn't expect me to wait in the stuffy hallway closet all morning did you?"

"Of course not. I just thought that you would have kept it a secret. That's just the way you are. Then again, you always find new ways to surprise me."

"That's the way it will be for the rest of our natural lives."

"Damn, I forgot that by accepting, I was agreeing to spend my life with you. Can I take it back?"

"Not on your life, princess. Besides, I had to beat about ten guys over the head just to get that particular ring. It's very popular lately."

I looked down at it for the first time and noticed that it was breathtakingly beautiful. There was a clear center diamond and a blue and pink diamond to either side of it. "Wow. It's beautiful. It must have cost a fortune."

"Not really. It came out of a Cracker Bob box." I laughed and grabbed his hand. "No, seriously. It didn't cost that much. I knew the owner of the store, and his son gave me a good price. Apparently you know him very well. Kikard Leonearth."

"Yeah! I grew up with him in a foster home until his real father came to pick him up. We called him 'Kick'."

"Did he play soccer?"

"No, he just liked to kick people. Especially if they were picking on me. He was like my older brother."

"Well, then I'll always be grateful to him."

"Wow. I haven't heard from Kick in years. Since he went to his father's house in fact. He used to write, but the letters all disappeared when I started at Nagiala."

"Then do I have a surprise for you." He opened the door to the apartment, and standing outside was the man that had delivered my ring.

"What else did you do?" I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him. He looked offended for a second, but I could tell that it was fake.

"Nothing, I swear. Eira, could I introduce to you my new best friend, Kikard Leonearth."

"Hey, Eira. You've got yourself a good guy here." He pointed to Tetra, who smiled.

"Doesn't he know it." I smiled at Tetra, and he wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Wow. You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you. Maybe a bit taller, but the same blonde hair and blue eyes. What's the matter? No hug for your big brother?" He held out his arms, and I jumped into them like I used to when I was little.

"How have you been? I've missed you! I stopped getting letters from you after I started at Nagiala. What happened?"

"Well, I kept writing after you went to Nagiala, but they always got returned for some strange reason. But I've been looking for you for a while now. Dad died a few years ago, and he left you in his will. When Tetra walked into the store looking for the perfect ring for his 'Blonde-haired Angel,'" I looked at Tetra, who grinned from ear to ear. "I asked for your name. When he said it was for an Eira Nuransi, I knew that it had to be you. How many other Eira's do you know? So I asked if I could follow him. He agreed after I explained our relationship, and I waited until you guys were done with the whole shebang. And here I am."

"I am so happy to see you! What a coincidence that Tetra happened into your store though."

"Not really. I'm the only decent jeweler this side of Tiaren. All the others are run by either molesters, rapists, or fraud artists."

"Well, however the circumstances, it's great to see you happy and healthy! How's Entia?" I remembered the name of his wife from wedding photos in the newspaper a couple of years back.

"She's five months pregnant right now, and absolutely radiant. She doesn't think so though, even though guys are still checking her out on the sidewalk, pregnant belly or not."

"Well, tell her I wish her well and call me when the baby comes. I want to see the first child of my 'big brother'."

"Will do. Right now, no one's running the store, and I have the 'back in five minutes' sign up. It's been almost two hours since I left. I better be getting back."

"I understand, though I wish that you didn't. Call me anytime, though I might be in Attilica. I'll give you my cell phone..." I noticed that he had gone wide-eyed, and was now staring at me. "What?"

"Why are you going to that place? It's got monsters and _vampires_." He nearly spat out the last word, and I caught Tetra frown out the corner of my eye.

"There are some good vampires," I stroked Tetra's arm, also thinking of Ishiomara and her family. "Besides, there are also angels and elves, and even humans that are surviving nicely in Attilica. It's a lot calmer and more peaceful than here."

"I find that hard to believe somehow."

"That's fine. But we'll be there, and we're probably going to have the wedding in our friend's castle. You're invited of course, but you'll have to cross the barrier. We'll be waiting on the other side for our non-powered friends to make sure that they get there okay, of course."

"Well, send us an invite, and we'll make sure to be there, danger or not. I'll be damned if my best childhood friend gets married without me there."

"I'm really sorry that I missed yours."

"No problem. It's not like I could send you an invite or anything. We had one made up though. It's in the photo album we made when we were younger."

"You still have that old thing?"

Tetra butted in. "Kick, you're going to be really late back to the store if you don't end this conversation now. Eira can talk, and I don't want you to lose too much business."

"I don't talk that much!" I handed Kick my cell phone number, e-mail address, and home phone number on a slip of paper, and hugged him good-bye.

"Don't be a stranger! Call anytime, day or night. Especially when Entia goes into labor. We'll try to be there on time."

"Will do." He started to leave, and I closed the door. I hugged Tetra, and looked up at him.

"You are amazing, you know that? Both the ring, and my long-lost big brother in the same day."

"I know, I know. That's what all the ladies tell me."

"They better not." I smiled, and stood up a little to kiss him.

"So, it's eleven o'clock on March 3rd. What do you want to do?"

"Well, we have an hour before Teira, Jasmine and Javar arrive. We have to do something."

"I have a few ideas." He grinned wickedly, and my knees melted.

"You, sir, are too handsome for your own good, let alone mine. You know that I want to wait until I'm married to make that step."

"I know. I just like to see the look on your face when I suggest it."

I punched his arm and walked down the hall to the guest bedroom. The blue satin duvet was piled on the floor, and the white Egyptian cotton sheets were crumpled to the bottom of the bed. I clapped myself on the head. Teira forgot to make the bed again! How many times had I told her? The bed somehow began to make itself. The sheets went toward the headboard, and the duvet flew off and tucked itself onto the mattress. Behind me, the door opened, and Teira walked into the room.

"Let me see your hand." She demanded.

"Well, don't even say hello."

"Fine, I won't." I gave her my hand. She whistled low, and I laughed.

"Thanks, by the way, for the lingerie. You knew we weren't engaged yet."

"What lingerie? I didn't send any lingerie,"

Tetra walked into the room and laughed. "You didn't!" I demanded.

"I did."

"You knew about the party ahead of time."

"No, I didn't. I just had an outfit sent to the house as a joke. I figured that Teira wouldn't mind that I used her name."

"Well, you're wrong about that."

"Really?"

"No, but you should be. Eira needs to loosen up a little."

"I do not!"

"You do. When was the last time that you did something spontaneous just to have fun?"

I was silent and Teira smirked. "I knew it."

"Fine, so I'm a little uptight."

"A little?" This was not from my best friend, but rather from the man standing behind me, the very one that thought he was going to get anything to drink tonight.

"You obviously aren't very thirsty." I shot back at him.

"Honey? I think that your daughter is hungry." Javar's voice rang out from the living room. "She's kind of sucking on my finger."

"Yeah, she's hungry. Want to feed her, Eira?"

"Not really. She's your daughter. Why should I feed her?"

"Because you love her? Auntie Eira?" She pouted, and I gave.

"Fine, give me the bottle." I held an open hand out to Teira, and she handed it to me a little more eagerly than she probably should have.

After feeding her, Teira and I walked to the mall to talk and to let the boys talk. We were shopping for about two hours with constant "That is so cute"'s and "That looks great on you!"s. We went to the food court, and sat down with a tray full of Chinese food in front of us. "So, you're getting married to my brother."

"So, you're getting married to my cousin."

"Wow, our lives are really screwed up."

"Yeah."

"On the bright side, we'll finally be related. You'll be my sister-in-law."

"Which means that you'll be marrying your cousin-in-law."

"That's pretty sick."

"Yeah, but he's a hot cousin-in-law."

"Yep. It's so amazing that we got engaged at about the same time! I always thought that I would grow up to be the old woman with fifteen cats that yells at the neighborhood kids about how she used to be pretty."

"Modest, aren't you?"

"I wasn't trying to be conceited. I was just saying that I would be alone and spiteful. I would have a Mrs. Tibbles, a Mr. Tibbles, and Baby Tibbles, and twelve named Cat because I couldn't think of any more names."

She chuckled and replied, "And where would I be?"

I twirled my hair around my index finger and thought. "You would be the beautiful heiress living in a mansion with servants galore, and an expert podiatrist just to wash your poor, callused feet, your only flawed attribute."

"You're one to talk about the opulent pleasures! You who has a grandfather worth 3.5 billion dollars."

I nearly choked on my soda. "What?!"

"Yeah. Samuel Nuransi, co-owner of Hydraulic Laboratories. They made the Tiaren Triple Bridge. It was an eight billion dollar bridge. Not to mention a lot of other bridges. His share of the company alone is worth 3.5 billion dollars. Didn't you know that?"

"I knew he was fairly loaded, but not that well! The question is, how did you know that?"

"Okay, one, Javar is my soon-to-be husband. He is also your brother. You share the same mother. The instant I found out about your extremely nice bank accounts, I looked on the web for any members of the Nuransi Family of Tiaren. Guess who's name was at the top of the list?"

"Samuel Nuransi."

"Actually, no. It was Daniel Nuransi, your great-grandfather, currently deceased. He was worth almost 5 billion himself. In other words, you were born into an extremely wealthy family, and I'm marrying into it!"

"Wow, and I lived my life as a dirt-poor foster child."

"It's probably better that way, anyhow. Otherwise you may have been a spoiled rotten brat, and not made friends with me or my family, or your brother wouldn't be marrying me."

I sighed dreamily and jokingly, and she laughed. "Good to know you care."

"I do, it's just I was thinking what it would be like to know what I do now about fourteen years ago."

"You would be the world's smartest infant."

"Haha. Seriously though, I wouldn't be constantly thinking the what ifs."

"What ifs?"

"Yeah. You know, 'What if my real father were a king, and I was accidently switched at birth, and right now they are searching all over trying to find me?' 'What if my parents are trapped underwater somewhere, and trying to find the baby girl that was ripped from their arms wrongfully?' 'What if I was kidnaped by an evil nurse who submitted me into foster care to get revenge on my beautiful mother for stealing her equally handsome boyfriend?'"

"You're insane, you know that?"

"Maybe, but it is nice to know that my mother didn't give me up because she didn't love me. She gave me up because she did."

"Well, I always thought that you were lucky. Not knowing your parents, not having to deal with the standards that they put up for you. It always sounded like paradise to me."

"Yeah, that was kind of nice. But then there was the self-doubt that goes along with not knowing your biological parents. What if my father was an alcoholic? Does that meant that I'll get that way too? What if one of my parents had a sexually transmitted disease? Will I ever be able to have sex with my husband?"

"I would have willingly traded places with you, Eira, before I knew who your father was. Now, I have a motto, 'Better you than me.'"

"Thanks. Good to know you care." I joked with her.

"Well, get used to having my family around. You're marrying into my insane family, too, you know. There's no going back from that. Trust me, I should know. I've been trying for years."

"To un-marry out of your family?"

"When did you develop a sense of humor, however annoying?"

"When I decided that if I didn't laugh every so often, my life would be a living hell."

"You're an angel, for crying out loud!"

"Don't cry so loud, would you? I don't need it broadcast anymore than it already is that I'm a freak."

"Sorry."

"Excuse me, ladies, but the mall is closing in five minutes and I need to clean this table for closing." An acne-covered teenage waiter walked to our table and spoke very politely. I looked out the glass doors into the street. It was indeed dark outside. We gathered our bags, and walked out of the mall heavily weighted down, dumping the half-plate of cold Chinese food in the garbage on the way out.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Problems, Solutions, and A Few Misdemeanors

Eira

When we finally got home, there wasn't a single boy in sight. We called around the apartment for our men, but they were nowhere to be found. "Must have gone out for a drink or something. They'll be back." Teira shrugged and I flopped onto the couch, still staring at the beautiful ring. We made a couple of drinks and went for a swim before beginning to worry.

"Okay, they've must have left shortly after we did. That means that they've been gone for about thirteen hours now. I'm going out to look for them." I grabbed my coat and Teira grabbed my arm.

"You're a telepath, right?"

"I thought that we had already established that." I failed to see the connection, and she was starting to make me mad.

"Well, couldn't you just astral project to him like you did for that elven chick that one time?"

I stared at my best friend. "That's brilliant. I was so worried about them that I completely forgot." My eyes opened wide. "Tetra hasn't drunken from me yet tonight! If he so much as lays one fang on my brother, I don't care if we're engaged. I'll kick his ass from here to Transylvania."

"Wow, you're vicious tonight. It's kinda scary."

I grabbed for the coat still hanging from the coat tree. After breathing in the familiar smell of soap, cinnamon, and apples, I lay down on my bed, and cast my thoughts out to my fiancee.

Tetra

I knew that it was cold. I knew that there was a warm body beside me. I knew that I was hungry. I extended my fangs, only to finally look into the face of my meal. It was Javar, and he didn't appear to be moving, or even breathing. I retracted the fangs that I knew would scare the living shit out of a full-grown man, and felt at his wrists for a pulse. When my fingers felt the weak rhythm, I breathed a sigh, and my stomach rumbled with hunger. _I _won't_ feed off my fiancee's brother!_

I rethought my last thought, and remembered the events of earlier that day. A smile played itself unbidden across my face, and I didn't even realize that I was grinning like a fool. _I'm getting married._

I leaned my head against the cold stone of the cell we were captive in, and lost myself in thought until I heard footsteps from beneath me.

"They mustn't escape! We need them for the Princess to follow. They'll tear apart the countryside looking for those two apes. It's not like they can just trace them here." _That's what_you _think._

"Fool! Don't worry so much as to when the Princess will find them! Worry as to how we are going to protect ourselves when they do. You saw for yourself what she did for the seemingly unconquerable Castle Dracula." A second voice joined the first, this one deep, male, and strong, a complete opposite to the soft, wispy feminine voice of the first.

"Indeed I did. We will have to make sure that we are doubly ready for the assault. Vampira shall be a shining example to us as to her foolishness in underestimating the Chosen One."

"We must go now. We were to be at the outer wall five minutes ago."

I listened to the fading footsteps, and held my breath until I could hear a heavy wood-sounding door close firmly and loudly. I leaned my head against the wall again, this time to be cushioned by a warm, soft hand. I leaned my head toward the connected arm, only to have a second hand cup my cheek. A light brush scraped my lips and then a light pressure leaned itself against my body. I looked into the face of my angel, and smiled. "Hello, love. It's about time you got worried about me." I whispered softly, and pulled one hand up to rest behind her head at the base of her neck, gently stroking the skin. I pulled her face down closer to mine, and kissed her hungrily, and, to my surprise, she kissed back just as desperately.

When we came up for air, she leaned her forehead against mine, and I was again extremely aware of her slight weight on my thighs. "I was so worried about you. I thought I'd lost you when you didn't come home right away. I astralled to you first to find you."

"I finally got you to say yes. Did you honestly think that I'd skip town after accomplishing what guys all over town have been trying to do since you first arrived at Nagiala?"

She laughed softly, and whispered, "But I was only five."

"You were beautiful. Even then. I fell in love with you on my first day at the magic school." I admitted unashamed. She needed to know how I felt if we were to be married.

"I haven't loved you as long, but I love you just as much now. Maybe more." She stroked my cheek.

"Not possible." I whispered into her hair, and breathed in her unique scent. Clean clothing, flowers, and...Chinese food?

"You went and got Chinese and you didn't bring any to your poor, captive fiancee?" I enjoyed the feel of the word on my tongue, and if the delicious shiver that Eira did was any consolation, so did she.

"I brought you dinner of a sort. I couldn't have you feeding off of my brother, now could I?"

"You are an angel. His blood was calling out to me. Just because he smells like you." She leaned her head to rest on my shoulder, and I carefully, so as not to hurt her, slipped my fangs into her smooth neck, drinking carefully from the woman I was going to marry.

Once I was finished, she sighed and nuzzled deeper into my neck. "I wish I didn't have to go, but I'm here physically, not mentally, so Teira's probably worried sick. Where are you guys anyway?"

"From what I heard from the guards on the way here, we're on the outskirts of Attilica, in a castle that is nigh impossible to find unless you know where it is. Or you know someone in it, in your case. I think she called it 'la villa de los muertos'."

Eira shuddered again, though this time I could tell that It wasn't a pleasurable one. "You do realize that that's Spanish for 'The Village of the Dead' right?"

"I do now. Besides, I'm a vampire. What can they do?"

"A lot, considering your only half-vampire. Javar has no vampire blood in him. You're both in danger, and I don't like it." She pouted and crossed her arms under her chest, looking for all like an unhappy five year old.

"Do you realize how ridiculous you look?" Javar had finally woken up, and was talking in the same low whisper that we were conversing in.

She hugged him fiercely before settling herself back on my thighs. "I have to go before Teira has a cow. I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed me one last time, and disappeared.

I sighed and stood up, looking out the window toward the horizon and the barely distinguishable lights of the town. _Hurry back, love, or I may not be alive when you do._

Eira

I came back for Tetra the next night, Teira in tow. I let Tetra feed off of me again, and I settled myself in at the same spot that I had the night before. "How are you getting here, if you aren't astral projecting?"

I wiggled the tips of my wings and kissed him again. "Apparently, having these beauties makes it so that I can teleport from place to place."

Teira, from her place of Javar's lap, scoffed. "I could have run, but she insisted that I save my energy."

"She's right, love. We may need your speed to do something else. Who's the baby with?"

"I left her with Bica. She may not like me very much, but she is in love with her."

"She likes you, love. She just doesn't like that you taking away her baby boy."

"No offense, but she doesn't even like you." Teira pointed out.

"She's just mad because I went and got engaged without talking to her and getting her approval first."

"Well, then, she's not going to like you for a very long time, because I'm not planning on letting you go just for her sake." She nuzzled his forehead, and kissed him softly.

"Okay, prisoners...You're not supposed to be in here!" A guard walked into the room, saw us there and began to run. I nudged Tetra's thigh a little and then sealed my mouth over his. On his way to the back of my neck, his hand moved to freeze the guard in his tracks. I pulled back to breathe, and heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. I kissed him again, and grabbed Teira. We teleported back, and I hoped that he would be okay. I would have to leave him there alone for a long time, save for quick feedings late at night.

"I'm sorry."

The next few days were pure torture. Tetra was wasting away, and I felt awful every time that I had to leave him in that small, dark cell. Javar was wasting away too, but there was nothing that I could do for him, except help a little by maybe bringing him small scraps of food. He was getting ragged, and it hurt that I could not bring him any comfort. One day, I finally decided that there was no way for me to continue ripping my heart out, and I had to break it one final time to make the choice of saving my brother, or the man I love the most.

Tetra

I watched Javar disappear with Eira, and my heart broke. I knew that she would be back, but when? I saw the hurt in her eyes and I knew that she was regretting leaving me. I had suggested that she take Javar because he had a baby to take care of, where I only had Eira. I sat around and waited for her to return the next day, and froze the guards when they came. I didn't need them to realize Javar was gone. I leaned my head back against the wall, and began to regret that she wasn't here with me. I closed my eyes, and I felt slight pressure against the lids, along with a familiar scent. Eira!

"What are you doing back so soon? I don't want you to tire out your magic."

"I couldn't leave you here, could I? I would give up all the magic in the world to make sure that you're safe tonight. Now, are you going to wrap your arms around my waist so we can go, or are you going to stay here and tell me how to use my magic?"

She didn't have to ask me twice. I wrapped my arms around her and she leaned into my shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now get us out of here before the guards come back."

"Bossy for someone who's getting his ass saved yet again from the clutches of the bad guys."

I glared at her. She put her hand to her mouth and giggled before taking us away. We were safe in Eira's apartment in two seconds.

Eira

Once we were safe back in my apartment, I sent the two boys to enjoy nice, hot baths one at a time until dinner was finished. They came out looking refreshed and less forlorn. I patted Javar on the back and leaned into Tetra, my magic depletion making me weak. He sat down on the couch suddenly, causing me to fall into his lap with a gasp. He wrapped his arms around my hips and pulled me close. I rested my head in the gap between his chin and his shoulder and closed my eyes.

_That was too easy. _


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Planning, Plotting, and Rocky Road

Tetra

The next few weeks were hectic, to say the least. Eira was in full bridal swing, planning from sunrise to sunset. She wasn't horrible, like people say that women get, she was just busy. Too busy. Sometimes I went a full day without seeing her, although I had officially moved into her apartment earlier that week. Mostly when I did see her, she was either rushing from appointment to appointment, or asking my opinion on a flower arrangement. It shall suffice to be said that I mostly just nodded and say "Yes."

I missed my angel, the one who would have time just to sit on the bed and talk for hours. The one who would listen like her life depended on it, no matter what you were talking about. I understood her predicament, but I was getting a little jealous of my own wedding. Later, I just shrugged it off, saying that I would have plenty of time with her after the wedding, but that first week was hard. Once the plans ceased, I would spend as much time with her as I could, making up for the two and a half months that she had planned for a 'small' ceremony. I would really hate to see what the planning for a large ceremony would be.

Eira

The planning was horror, and I missed Tetra more with every passing minute. His face flashed in my eyes every time something about the groom was mentioned. I was still in disbelief, still in shock. I was so happy that my body couldn't cope with the pressure put upon my shoulders and began to go into over-drive. I worked late nights and early mornings. I would brush past him in the morning without so much as a 'morning'. God forbid that I would kiss him and make breakfast!

I rushed the plans and hurried out of my over-drive as soon as possible. I didn't like not being able to eat for fear of messing up my schedule. There was a great relief, the moment that I closed the plans. The moment they were finished, I took Tetra aside, and thoroughly apologized for the way I had been that month.

To my horror and shame, Tetra admitted that I had been in Bridezilla mode for almost three months. I placed a hand on his cheek and saw the longing in his eyes. I closed my own and sealed my mouth over his, remembering the comforting taste of him. I felt him smile under my mouth and I smiled in return. I only hoped that I hadn't done irreparable damage to our relationship. When his hands came to rest on the small of my back and the back of my neck, I knew that I hadn't. I don't remember exactly what was said that night, but I knew that I was happy, and I could finally slow down.

I fell asleep that night in the manner that we used to, me pressed up firmly against his body, neck in reach. I was just happy that he still respected my boundaries in our relationship. Not many would after they took the almighty 'plunge'.

The night was calm, quiet, and, for the first time in three months, restful. I awoke at around two o'clock well-rested and completely relaxed. I cupped a hand around Tetra's warm, sleeping cheek and just watched him sleep. After a little while, I got up to finish my bath, locking the bathroom behind me.

Once I was out, I wrapped myself in my favorite teal cashmere sweater and a comfortable pair of gray sweat pants. I grabbed my mp3 player and went for a walk to the store for a bar of chocolate.

When I got back, Tetra was still sleeping and when I laid back down with a pint of rocky road ice cream, he snorted a little bit and grabbed a hold of my waist. The skin on my stomach protested a bit, but I re-situated myself so that I would still have some skin. Tetra rubbed his face in the soft fabric of my sweater, and kissed my neck a couple of times. I turned into him as he bit down softly. I looked at him, and he smiled, showing normal teeth instead of his long vampire fangs. I laughed and trapped his lips under mine. He immediately pulled back and closed his mouth over my collarbone. I gasped as he licked and sucked. He pulled back suddenly and smirked. I knew what was there, so I didn't have to look. I glared at him jokingly, and resumed kissing him again. We finally fell asleep again, and slept the rest of the day and night.

When we finally decided to pull ourselves out of bed, the sun was high in the sky and the birds were singing. I stretched out cat-like, and smiled. "What, pray tell, are you smiling about?" He called from the kitchen to me.

"I haven't been to school in over a year."

"Yep. That's definitely a reason to smile. Want to visit the school?"

"Sure. Mom said I could stop by anytime, and I know that Teira went back last week. Do you want to?"

"Let's go."

"Let me change. It's June remember?" In my Bridezilla days, the months had passed me by, and summer had come unannounced. I slipped on my favorite black silk camisole with the purple ribbon under the chest, and my denim skirt with the purple silk star on the back pocket. After checking that my wings weren't visible without releasing them, I grabbed my purse and walked out the door, Tetra on my heels.

I walked into the attendance window and signed in. The attendant looked at me funny when I gave her my name, but was silent when she handed Tetra and me our guest passes. I traipsed down the familiar halls and into Mrs. Nuransi's class.

"Eira! What a surprise! Class, you all remember Eira, right?"

All the girls jumped up at once and began to embrace me while the guys all clapped Tetra on the back, calling congratulations to him. I looked to the back of the class and my eyes fell upon a single shadow sitting with her head down on her desk, drawing something.

"Who's that?" I pointed her out to Tetra, who shrugged. One of the boys in the class scoffed.

"That's Brigila. She's such a loser. She does nothing but sit in the back and draw all the time. She's nothing like you."

"That's very nice of you." I brushed him off and walked up the stair to the back of the class and sat in the seat beside Brigila. "That's a beautiful drawing. I've never seen anything like it."

She shielded her colorful and almost accurate drawing of an angel with her arm, and scowled. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to tell you that I like your drawing."

"Thank you. It's the best I can do since I've never seen a real angel." I laughed and she looked at me as if I should be put away.

"I'll be happy to model for you anytime." She stared at me with wide-eyes.

"What are you talking about? You're not an angel."

"What do you think I've been doing all year? Sitting around playing with my hair at home? Here's my number. Give me a call if you want to draw a real angel." I walked to the large gathering of people with her still staring at me with wide-eyes.

"What was that about?" Tetra whispered into my ear as I came back to him.

"Nothing. Just a little talk, artist-to-model." I winked at him, and his eyes sparkled.

"Okay, Mom. We're going to go around and see everyone. It was nice to meet everyone." I grabbed Tetra's arm and dragged him out of the door behind me.

We walked down the hall and into old Mr. Hearth's room. The man looked like a turtle, but he had a good heart. "Eira, my dear, welcome back! We've been worried. And master Tetra. Good to see you healthy, my dear boy. Welcome, welcome. You are both welcome here, of course. I assume you've already stopped in with Mrs. Nuransi?"

"She was our last stop."

"Jolly good. Class! You all stone? The school's disappearance cases are solved and you are all are sitting in your seats like a bump on a log!" At Mr. Hearth's encouragement, all of the students leaped out of their seats and surrounded us much like they had at our last stop. The only difference was that something was slipped into my pocket, and the sharp edges dug into my thigh.

We bid our farewells and continued onto our next classes, much to the same greeting, and ending up right outside my old homeroom. Teira was visible from the window. I laughed when I got a good look at her, as she was back to her habit of old, sleeping during her class.

I walked into the room, and the class fell silent, and all eyes were open, even my best friend's. Teira was sitting in the seat, laughter in her eyes. Old Mrs. Harriman was staring, and Auric looked angered at the sight of Tetra's hand enclosed in mine, shielding the beautiful ring.

"Well, if it isn't my best student! And my second best! What a pleasure! Eira, you remember everyone. I obviously don't need to introduce you to the slacker in the back." She winked at Teira, causing Tetra, Teira and myself to begin to laugh.

"I remember everyone. Except for you." My gaze fell on an unfamiliar face sitting in the far right, as far away from the door as physically possible. It was a handsome face, with eyes that glowed cerulean, and brown hair with blonde highlights that defied all laws of physics and gravity.

"My name is Sorel. I'm new to Tiaren. I've heard much about you. Especially the rumors." He smiled, and I liked him instantly. I walked across the room to stand in front of him.

"Then I shouldn't need to introduce myself, but I will anyway. I'm Eira, and this in my boyfriend, Tetra. Delighted to meet you." I held out a hand, and my shirt slipped up to above my hip, exposing my imperial tattoo.

At first, the cerulean eyes stared, but then they registered recognition. "It's a pleasure, Your Highness."

Everyone in the room, including the teacher, inhaled as one. I laughed, and Tetra looked at me strangely. I leaned in until my mouth was close to his ear. "You're Attilican, are you not?"

"I am. Part nymph, as it were." He smiled, and I knew that was where the good looks had come from.

"Then you know me, do you not?"

"I do. I'm honored by your presence, Queen Eira of the Angels." He continued the conversation in a whisper.

"Please keep my identity a secret. I am here on vacation, and I don't need all that attention."

"Your wish is my command." He smirked and I laughed. Tetra walked up to the boy and shook his hand firmly. "Your Highness." Sorel muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Tetra and myself to hear.

I turned on my heel from the nymph to another, less liked, familiar face.

"Auric, my old friend. How have you been?" I put as much sarcasm and bitterness into my voice as I could possibly muster.

"I'm peachy. I can see you were up to your whoring as usual." I held Tetra back with one arm and stroked his forearm until he calmed down. My other hand flew to my collarbone, where the hickey lay uncovered. In my haste out the door, I had forgotten to cover up the blemish with cosmetics.

"What I do in my spare time with my fiancee is no business of yours. As your business with Amara is your own. How's the baby, by the way?" I smirked, and walked back to the front of the class, and nodded to everyone. I was almost out the door when Auric called out. "You've really changed, wench. Not for the better, I may add." I was in front of him in an instant, holding his arm tightly, tilting his face up to look into my eyes.

"Next time you insult a member of an Attilican royal family, don't. You may end up dead in a gutter somewhere. You may not even be fully dead." I saw Tetra flash him a little fang from behind me.

I walked out the door after hugging Teira, and whispering to come over later. Tetra grabbed my arm and swung me into him. I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed.

"Hey you! Lovebirds! There is no loitering in the hallways, and no public displays of affection! You should know better..." The assistant headmaster stomped down the hall toward us and stopped when he saw my face, Tetra's still hidden from view.

"Eira, when did you get back? Last I heard, you and Tetra, god rest his soul, were stuck in Attilica."

"God rest his soul? What are you talking about?" I tilted my head to the right.

"Don't look at me like that? Aren't you even sorry that he's dead?"

"Dead? Last time I checked, I was still alive." Tetra turned around and the A.H. turned bright white. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"But, they brought your body to Tiaren almost a year ago. Your throat was slit wide open." His hand flew to his own throat, as though checking to see that it was unblemished.

"You must have been mistaken. I have been whole and hearty since we left. I have no knowledge of dying." He smiled, and I squeezed his hand.

"Well, I certainly imagine that we were, since you are standing before me seemingly fine. You never know with that horrid place." he shuddered and I fought the urge to throttle him for insulting the country I had newly adopted as my home.

"We'll be going now, assistant headmaster. It was a pleasure seeing you again."

"Aren't you going to come to see the headmaster? He asked you to come to his office if you did come back, did he not?"

"He did. I guess that I will." I followed him, cursing him for leading me right into the trap that my father had set from me.

When we arrived at the headmasters office, Lucas was waiting, his hands clasped ceremoniously on the desktop. "I was expecting you, my dear. You may leave." The assistant principal walked out of the office like a puppy that had been stepped on. I could just see the tail hanging between his legs. I chuckled, and had to keep pretending to blow my nose to cover the sound. He glared at Tetra, who glared right back in a way that screamed 'I'm not going anywhere'. " Please. Sit down." I ended up sitting on top of Tetra, as there was only one chair in the office. I had no problem however. Tetra didn't either, apparently, as he certainly didn't shove me off. "My daughter, do you plan on returning to Attilica?"

"Probably not anytime soon. Unless, of course, Anedal sends a message that she needs us."

"Then you must come back before you do. Both your mother and I have something to give to you. I am sorry that you were left to be put in a grouping of foster homes, but as you may already know, my hands were tied, so to speak. I knew nothing of your plight, only that you were born as fraternal twins. I knew not even your names, as I already explained. I searched, after realizing my foolish mistake. My father found out that my girlfriend was pregnant and threatened to ruin your futures if I claimed you as my own as I wanted to do. I couldn't let that happen, so I stayed at a distance. I am sorry that your lives were so horrible. I never wished it that way. You'll find that I watched you throughout all your lives, waiting for the old man to keel over."

"That's horrible." I scoffed.

"Yeah, but it's true. He never liked me, either." He shrugged and looked about as innocent as a vampire, present company not included.

"Still. He was your father, and I know what it was like to not have one."

He winced, and I knew how bitter I had sounded. Tetra wrapped a hand around mine and began rubbing the knuckled gently, soothing my raw nerves. I snuggled closer into his chest and worked at not looking at the man that called himself my father.

"We will let you know when we are getting ready to leave. It more than likely won't be anytime soon."

"Very well. Ask your brother to come in soon as well. I hear my soon-to-be daughter-in-law has returned from her maternity leave?"

"She has." I pushed off Tetra's lap, and helped him up before shaking the hand offered to me. I walked out the door with tears in my eyes and my head throbbing.

Once I was home, I flopped onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. I heard Tetra open the refrigerator door and pull a glass out from the cabinet. Moments later, he was laying beside me and I was crying over his shoulder. I don't know what triggered it, or what ended it. Possibly my body had no more tears to cry, and I still felt severed from reality. Tetra handed me the glass of lemonade, and I refused. "You drink it. You poured it."

"I poured it for you. I was planning to drink something else pretty soon, if you know what I mean. You need as much liquid in you as possible. And from the look of your eyes, you need to drink more than one glass. I don't want you getting dehydrated." He stroked my cheek with one hand, and I used one of my own to hold it there.

"Don't let me go, Tetra. I'm feel like I'm beginning to lose myself. Don't let me go."

"Never." He swept down, and sealed his mouth over mine, and I wished that this moment would last forever. Alas, it did not, and my accursed brother walked through the door, his bad timing coming in once again.

"Oops. Sorry. My bad." He covered his eyes, and began walking out the door. I sighed.

"You've ruined the moment already anyway. Might as well stay." I waved him in and closed the door.

"Has Father talked to you yet?" He sounded ashamed and a little scared for some strange reason.

"Yeah. You call him Father already?"

"Well, that's what he is. No matter what he's done, we can't change that."

"No, but we can protest it."

"I'd rather just give into it. I'm tired of fighting. I've wished for this my whole life, and I'm not letting it get away from me this time." He sighed and I felt bad for what I said.

I walked across the room, and hugged him. "I'm sorry. You're right. He is our father, however much we try to change it. We might as well accept it."

"You're right. I'm glad that you see it that way." He whispered into my ear, and I hugged him tighter.

"Thanks Javar."

"Your welcome."

"Well, now that the lovefest is over, can I have my girl back?" Tetra walked into the room and dragged me back to the bed. "She's dehydrated right now. She needs to rest. I know you're her brother and everything, and even hospitals give visitation rights, but I think that you should leave so that she can get some sleep and regain her magic." I elbowed him in the gut lightly, and he doubled over dramatically.

"Ignore my obstinate other half. He's delusional because I haven't fed him yet today. Thanks for stopping by. I'm happy you did. But, like my better half, I really need some rest. My magic is like nil, and I'm really light headed." I got up and walked over to my brother, ignoring the drama king.

"Okay. Well, thanks for giving Father another chance to redeem himself. I'm sure that it means a lot to him." He hugged me again, and I felt a little of his magic slide into me. "A gift from me to you." He winked and I smiled.

As he walked out the door, another dizzy spell hit me and I crashed to the floor, feeling like the uncoordinated baboon that I know that I must look like. Tetra threw me over one shoulder, tossed me on the bed, and forced me to drink some of the lemonade. I gulped it down thirstily, and he laughed as a little dribbled down my chin. He wiped it up, and I looked deep into his eyes. He was hungry, really hungry since he hadn't fed in all of a day due to my weakness. He was a teenage boy. Gods know how much they eat. I gave him my neck and he shook his head. "You're too weak. I'll feed in the morning."

"I won't take the chance of you slipping out in the middle of the night to bite someone else. You will feed, and you'll do it now."

"Bossy, bossy. Geez, most guys would be dying to bite your neck, and here I am protesting it. Come here, beautiful."

I sat up slightly, and inclined my neck. He slipped his teeth in as gently as he had the other times that I had been conscious enough to realize what he was doing.

Once he was finished, I wiped the little blood that was trickling down my neck from the puncture marks and leaned into my vampire. "You know, it may be easier if I just got a lot of blood drawn, and you could suck from the bag." I pointed this out not because I minded that I was kind of like prey, but because it would be more convenient if I were unconscious or if I were weak for any reason.

He pouted at this and I chuckled at the absurd expression. "What?"

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that I should choose a bag over the real thing?"

"Again, what?"

"I'm asking if you are giving me a choice between a cold, non-respondent bag, and warm, loveable you?"

"Why are we talking in questions? Also, now that you put it in simpler terms, yes I am."

"Well, let's see." He pulled a kitchen bag out of the counter and shoved it into my mouth before I could react.

I pulled it out and almost threw it at him before I felt him grab me from behind by the shoulder and pull me against his warm body. I leaned in slightly and he sank his teeth into my neck again, licking and sucking as he did. When he removed his teeth, my hand flew to my neck, which was warm and moist from his touch.

"Now, which do you prefer?" He smirked, and I pushed him down onto the bed, and straddled him, devouring his mouth. He startled a little at my speed, then submitted to my control. I trailed my lips down to his collarbone, and I did what he had done not that awfully long ago, leaving a small bruise in my wake, which I kissed gently before rolling off him onto the bed.

"You've been practicing your vampire speed." I patted his abdomen.

"Me? Like you're one to talk, Miss I-won't-become-a-vampire-due-to-my-superior-blood." He smiled.

"What are you talking about?" I put my head to one side, like I do every time that I'm confused, apparently.

"You. You pushed me back and were on top of me before I could blink, let alone breathe. Not that I minded." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Get it out of your head. Not until our honeymoon. I want to make you beg."

He pouted again, and I laughed. "On the bright side, you might not have to beg hard, if you're good."

"I'll be an angel I swear." He did that on purpose, and I sat on him again, releasing my wings.

"Do you really believe that? Those angels were no angels."

"I agree. Do you know that one of them slipped a pair of lace unmentionables into my pocket?" He sat up a bit to kiss me, but I pushed him back again, wanting to be in control.

"I'm sure you liked it. Besides, we barged in right in the middle of their mating season." I shrugged, not caring. It's not like one of the girls was going to get _my_ man.

I got up and threw a coat over my shoulder. I heard him get up off the bed. "Where are we going?"

"Not this time, Tetra. I'm going for a walk to a friends studio. I'll be back before dawn, but don't wait up. Lock the door, and the windows, and anything that people can get into. I want you here when I get back. I'm not saving your ass again." I smiled and walked out the door, walking down the stairs only after hearing the clunk of the bolt being latched.

I headed down the street to Kick's jewelry shop, and slipped in silently after magically picking the lock. I found him in the back bent over a small piece of gold. "Hey." I alerted him to my presence.

He jumped about three feet in the air. "How did you get in? The front door got bells, and the back door is bolted and latched."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Kick, do you honestly think that a couple of bells and a deadbolt could keep a princess of Attilica out of a store?"

"No, but I would have thought your shadow would have followed you here. He would certainly make noise."

"That he would. That's why I left him at home. That and because I'm here for his wedding ring." I called up a magical cast of his finger that I had molded earlier when he was sleeping. The man can sleep, let me tell you.

"And you came to your brothers' place for the best price?"

"Of course not! A pretty girl like me couldn't exactly go to a molesters', rapists', or fraud artists' shop for the ring that means more than anything to her, now could I? I'd rather come here for the friendly service, the brotherly hug, and the satisfaction that you'll use that amazing handwriting of yours to engrave a message on my fiancee's ring." I settled myself on his desk and leaned over to hug his shoulders. He squeezed my back. I leaned back and counted off my fingers. "Okay, now I have the brotherly hug. Where's my friendly service?" I acted like I was frustrated to make him laugh.

"Well, Mrs. Nuransi, we have a wide selection of rings in many sizes and free engraving done by our owner, namely me." His voice was elegant and prim, with just a hint of warmth and laughter laced into it.

"Well, Mr. Leonearth, I would like a ring to fit this finger." I thrust the model at him and stepped toward the glass cases. Scanning the gold and platinum jewelry with my eyes, I finally spotted the ring that suited him perfectly. It was the exact equal and opposite of mine. The stones were in the opposite order that they were on my ring, and they were encased in wings of gold. I smiled when I saw it and pointed it out to Kikard. "This one."

He walked over to the case and pulled out the ring, slipping it onto the dummy's finger. "A perfect fit. Now, what would you like engraved onto it?"


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Christmas, Presents, and Yet Another Attack

Eira

Several months passed without incident, and I had let down my guard a bit and enjoyed the time, frequently astral projecting back to Mt. Olympus to see how the angels were doing my absence. My "short" vacation lasted to Christmas and beyond. By the time that Christmas rolled around, Tetra and I were closer than ever. Most of the time, you didn't see one of us without the other, and as the wedding grew closer, the butterflies in my stomach multiplied until I thought that I was going to explode. I wasn't nervous about the wedding, but rather about what was going to happen afterward. What was going to happen when people found out about the King of the Angels living in Tiaren? Or when we finally get around to starting a family. What's going to happen to our kids? Will we ever be safe?

I flopped onto the bed with a sigh early Christmas Eve, contemplating these issues. Tetra was out shopping for his Christmas presents still, and I was forced to stay at home. Since I had all of my shopping done in June during that post-engagement shopping trip with Teira, there was no need for me to rush out. I pulled the wrapping paper I had found in a shop on the outskirts of town and began to wrap the various sized boxes.

Hours later, Tetra returned just as I tied the ribbon around the final present, which happened to be his. I stuck it into the closet and magiked it shut so that only I could open it. "If I catch you trying to open this closet, you won't get anything for Christmas, understand?" I warned him like a mother to a young child. As usual, Tetra read my mind.

"Yes, mother. Now get out. I have to wrap mine too." I took a little magical alarm to let me know if he tried to open the door, and teleported to Teira's house, where Sorel was waiting with my brother, soon-to-be sister-in-law, and niece. We had become fast friends, and he had gone with Tetra and I to pick out and decorate our enormous Christmas tree. Since he had no family in Tiaren, he would be celebrating in my apartment with Tetra and me.

"Hey Sorel, you gotten your Christmas shopping done yet?" I joked, knowing that he had had his Christmas shopping for almost as long as I had.

"Of course, Your Majesty. All I need to do is wrap them." He knew I hated being called 'Your Majesty' and now only called me that when he was joking around with me.

"Then you can join my procrastinating fiancee. He is currently at home wrapping probably as many sets of lingerie as he could find. Goody for me." I rolled my eyes, and the set of them all laughed.

"I'll save you. Strictly thirty sets." He chuckled and I teleported him, and the boxes sitting at his feet, away with a sweep of my hand and a sigh.

"That nymph will be the death of me, I'm telling you."

"Sure will. He's a good guy. Not bad looking either." Teira chuckled.

"Hey! I'm the only guy you should be looking at! Especially since our wedding is a little less than two months away!" Javar protested.

I startled, since I hadn't realized that it was so close. Sure, I had known the day, having planned it myself, but I never looked at it in terms of months and days. It was astonishing. We had planned it so that Javar and Teira were married before Tetra and I were, but on the same day so as to save a little money on the reception.

"Wow. I forgot that it was so close."

"Eira, you know that we'll be seventeen in less than two months, right? So remember it as that. We get married on our seventeenth birthdays! You, me, Teira, and Tetra." Coincidence that we were all, save for Teira, were born on the same day? I think not! Teira was only a few days younger anyway, a fact she still scorns to this day. Yeah, seventeen was a little young to be getting married, but in our situation, procrastination may literally have been the death of us.

"I know, I know. At least he'll remember our anniversary and my birthday."

"True that." Teira pointed out.

The little box on my wrist began to beep, indicating that Tetra had tried to get into the closet. "Damn it, Tetra! I just got here! I have to go. My nosy fiancee is trying to catch a peek at his Christmas presents."

"Go. See you tomorrow, right?"

"Of course. What time should I be here?"

"Two, and bring Sorel. We have something for him."

"Will do." I kissed both of them on the cheek and teleported back to the apartment, where Tetra was sitting on the bed with Sorel hanging off the doorknob to the closet, his feet off the ground.

"What are you doing?" I asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.

He dropped like a rock. "Nothing." He responded, rubbing his backside as he got up.

"Sure. Didn't you warn him I had an alarm?" I looked to Tetra who shrugged.

"I wondered how long it would take either you to get here or him to figure out that it was an unbreakable lock. It took you longer than I thought. Also, I found out that Sorel has the intelligence of a rock."

"Hey!" An outraged Sorel called out from behind me.

"Well it's true." I laid a hand on a shoulder to let him know that I was joking. "All joking aside, we have to figure out a plan for tomorrow. It was snowing when I left Teira and Javar's, meaning you may be snowed in tomorrow, Sorel. I suggest staying in the guest bedroom. You'll find some clothes in the guest room that might fit you." Tetra glared at me, and I shrugged. "Javar got drunk a lot."

"Thanks Eira. Do you remember Brigila?"

"Of course. I've only been going to her studio for like five months, wings spread wide. Why?"

"She asked if I could bring you a Christmas present from her. She has to go to Omoku tonight, so she can't get here. Would you mind teleporting me to her studio? I really don't want to walk in these." He motioned to his black and red shorts.

"You don't even need to ask." I waved my hand, and he disappeared, leaving me and the vampire alone. I ran my tongue over my sharp canines, an aftereffect of his daily feeding.

"And there were two." I slipped into the gap between his legs and rested my head onto his chest as I usually do as he wrapped his hands around my waist. "You didn't get me lingerie, did you?" I begged pitifully.

"That would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it?" He nipped my ear, and I inhaled sharply.

"You do realize that if you did, they'll never see the light of day, right?"

"Love, we're back to the question thing." We had continued conversations like this for hours in the months since we had first started that without even realizing it.

"Oh well. You didn't answer my question."

"What makes you think that I'm going to?"

"You're doing the question thing, not me."

"Fine, you're right, you're right."

"You're still not answering my question!" I was beginning to get angry.

"Purposely I might add."

"If you got me lingerie, you won't have anything to use when and if I do wear it." I used the empty threat, knowing that it was his favorite body part, considering he thinks with it most of the time. Besides, I would never have any fun if I chopped it off. Once we're married of course.

I felt my cell phone ring, which I had found Tetra to have after we got back from the hospital as I had suspected, and heard the familiar ringtone go off in my pocket. I danced a little to it before answering. The caller id came up restricted, but I could already tell that it was Sorel. "Hello?"

"Eira. I have the package. Could you teleport me there, please? It's cold outside."

"If you're so worried about freezing, why are you still wearing shorts in December?"

"Old habits die hard. It's warm year round in Attilica, remember?"

"I remember. I'll take care of it now." I hung up and whispered "Sorel" and the familiar pink and black light that was my magic flashed before fading to reveal Sorel standing in the kitchen with a figure in a black cloak pressing a small knife to his throat.

"Damn it! Why does it always have to be on a holiday that my life has to get screwy?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Eira! I swear that I didn't set this up! He attacked me while I was teleporting!"

"I never doubted you. Why would you be the hostage if you had set this up? Besides, I know exactly who this is, and I know that you don't have anything to do with him. Does he, Auric?"

I felt Tetra tighten up behind me. Auric pulled back his hood and smiled nastily. "How did you guess, wench?"

I pointed to his index finger, which still had my name tattooed up his finger while we were still dating. "I told you that was going to bite you in the ass. Now I warned you, remember? When we were in the classroom, the day I met Sorel. 'The next time you insult a member of an Attilican royal family, don't. You may end up dead in a gutter somewhere. You may not even be fully dead,' was exactly what I said I do believe. What about that do you not take seriously? I consider this to be a big insult to Sorel." Sorel's eyes widened, and he looked ashamed.

Tetra looked confused. "Sorel's not Attilican royalty."

"Really? Last time I checked, the king of the nymphs was a man named Lyrem. And his son's named just happens to be Sorelian. Coincidence that the prince's nickname is Sorel, and he has been missing from Attilica from about six months ago until now? I think not."

Sorel looked at me before disappearing in a cloud of smoke to reappear beside me. "How long have you known?"

Tetra was shocked. "Why don't you just do the poofing thing instead of having Eira teleport you everywhere?"

Sorel and I answered his question at the same time. "Only members of the royal family can teleport." We looked at each other and laughed, completely forgetting about Auric, who still seemed to be stunned from having his captive disappear from beside him.

"That means that, that one night at camp..." Tetra trailed off as he pieced together the information.

Sorel laughed. "My brother Rigurn stomped around for about a week after you rejected him. Ticiden was even more depressed than Rigurn and may have tried to kill you if you weren't a princess."

"Thank God for Ishiomara and her brilliant stratagems." Tetra smirked as he remembered the details.

"You did slap Ticiden pretty hard." he stated.

"That's also how I knew you were Kerya. You smelled like them." Sorel still looked ashamed, just not as much so.

"And what, pray tell, do Kerya smell like?" I crossed my arms.

"Hello! Guy with knife here! Must I do everything for you people?" He tried to grab Tetra, who half growled at him, unleashing three-inch-long teeth. Auric backed up quickly, and I flicked my fingers lazily. Immediately, the knife flew to my hand, and I tossed it up over my head, lodging it a good eight inches into the ceiling.

"What are you going to do now, Auric? You have no weapon, and there are more sources of varied magics in this room than anywhere else in the world. You're screwed over." I licked my dry lips and waited for him to make the next move.

"Not quite." Wind swirled around him, tearing up the carpet and gouging the wall behind him. I had forgotten about his aero powers, which could easily cause a large problem. My wings threatened to extract to protect my body, but I held them firm. If they were to come out, I could easily be shot against the wall, the wind catching them like sails.

Auric smirked almost identically to how Tetra had earlier. "What are you going to do now, Eira?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. This doesn't present that much of a problem however." I lied through my teeth, trying to unnerve him. I remembered Aleiansha, but no words would come to my panicked mind. Sorel, thankfully, had better control over his body and mind. I could hear him chanting over the wind, the words smooth and fluid. They wrapped themselves around me, and I felt a peace come over me. I nodded to the nymph prince, and began to chant along with him. _Fuerta thoerca iena arboca, lesuth iena toinieis ortioia, lestio murito poxeh arsia tri rias iola actoyna tri rekanu flonia losimo irotono brelk._

I wasn't sure quite what I said, or what it meant, only that it was powerful. My body shuddered, and Sorel collapsed beside me. Auric, however, was in worse shape. His eyes, now red from exertion, snapped shut, and his body fell upon itself, contorting to the worst possible shape. Blood poured from where his hand had been torn off, the appendage now fifteen feet away on my floor. I called the police, and immediately set to the task of covering the rose on our foreheads with my coverup. I left Auric's exposed as proof of his involvement in the destruction of my wall.

When the police arrived, I put on my best scared little girl voice and described how the scene had unfolded, and pointed out the dagger lodged into the ceiling as proof of my claims. When they asked how he had been knocked unconscious so spectacularly, I told them of all our magic, and of my standing of Attilican royalty. To protect Sorel's identity, I left his heritage conveniently out of the conversation. When the question of our roses arose, as I knew that it would, I simply responded with the obvious. "If I had opened the door with the golden mark of the magical, would you have come inside?"

Ashamed, they hung their heads as they answered no. They hauled his unconscious and bleeding body to the hospital, and I leaned back into Tetra after making sure that Sorel was not seriously hurt and was properly situated. I had helped him, dragged him more like, onto the guest bed and had closed the door, as he was sleeping once his head hit the pillow.

Tetra stroked my hair, and I closed my eyes. "Are our lives ever going to go back to normal?" He asked gingerly.

"I hope not. I've never had so much fun." My eyes were still closed, but I was astonished that his words mimicked my earlier thoughts.

"Really? I would have thought that this would have been hardest on you."

"Not really. I'm taking in fairly in stride."

"I noticed. You're getting better with your magic."

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, Mr. Two-month-long-freeze."

"What are you talking about?"

"The clock in your bedroom in Attilica. It was still frozen from the last time that you were there."

He laughed, and I was confused. "Not really. You see, the last time I froze it, I accidently shorted out the batteries, and the clock never worked again. I can only hold a freeze for a couple of hours at the most."

"That's still a long time, and a lot of power." I pointed out.

"Maybe."

"No, it is, and you know it. Stop being modest. It doesn't suit you."

"Well, then, maybe sleep should. It's nearly midnight, and we have a big day ahead of us."

"Indeed we do."

And our Christmas Eve went. And at its departure came the season's first laying snow. Sneaking up on us while we were sleeping, the white blanket layered over the roads and closed off the skies from the earth with its white sheets. A chill lingered in the air clear into morning, finding us cuddled up warm in our blankets, Tetra's breath warm on my ear.

I cracked open an eye, and the light from the Christmas tree met my glance. Tetra arose with me by some wild coincidence. "Presents!" He whispered in my ear.

I sighed, and got out of bed slowly. "Just wait while I move them out of the closet and wake up Sorel."

"Speaking of Sorel, why didn't you tell me he was a prince?"

"It was his secret to tell, not mine. I figured he would tell you when the time arose. However, the time arose, and he was silent, so I said it."

"Fine. Go wake up Mr. Sleepy Shorts."

I laughed as I walked out the bedroom door to the bedroom where Sorel was snoring rather loudly. I flopped onto a corner of the bed. I ripped off the sheets and covers and placed a hand (magically chilled) on his warm stomach and face. He immediately screeched and awoke, grinning his signature smile, the one that showed his heritage so very well. If I weren't so very much in love, I may have swooned just there. "Oh, stop it with the sexiness for a second and go wait with my child for a fiancee while I move the presents for you two."

"Fine." He grinned. "You think I'm sexy?" I pushed him off the bed with a smile of my own.

"You're a nymph. What do you expect? You prey on my species, and gender for that matter. You are essentially put on this earth to be sexually attractive. Now get your lazy arse out of bed and go wait!" He slumped out of the room and sat on my bed. I shook my head, and set to the task of moving the heavy boxes from one location to the other.

I called the boys in, and a blur from my bedroom found me on my butt on the floor with Tetra grinning like a kid in a candy shop. "Geez, I wonder what someone's favorite holiday is." I commented sarcastically.

He kissed me hastily, then tore into the presents as if they would disappear if he didn't open them in the next thirty seconds. I picked up one box, marked with my name from Tetra, and hesitated before opening it, frightened as to what might be inside.

My fears were unfounded however, as inside the box was a beautiful glass figurine of an angel, no bigger than my forearm, with wings spread wide, head tilted upwards, and dress made of crystal and blue glass. It was breathtaking, and Tetra smiled at my reaction to the sculpture. I smiled back at him, a tear in my eye. He went back to unwrapping the presents and held up my gag gift, a leather whip similar to Ishiomara's weapon with an unreadable expression on his face. I hugged him from behind, and whispered in his ear. "You'll be wanting to save that for later, I'll bet."

He grinned from ear to ear, and tucked the whip into a rapidly growing pile of presents. I sighed at the trouble that I had probably gotten myself into and picked up a tube shaped gift wrapped in a gold paper. Inside was a single sheet of parchment paper, rolled up loosely. I unfurled it, and looked at the picture with an open mouth. The portrait of me as I had posed, wings spread open with a smile, was identical to real life in every way but one. In my portrait's eyes were a knowing look that I had never noticed in the mirror. This me looked like she had seen hell and lived through it to smile yet again. Like she would take whatever you gave her, then laugh in your face, asking if that was all. Tetra looked at the picture over my shoulder, and gaped as I had. "Amazing. You certainly know how to pick 'em."

I looked down at the picture once more. "I definitely do."

Sorel made us wait until we got to Teira's to open our presents from him, so I made him wait too. He whined at my spitefulness, but I just ignored him and teleported myself, Tetra and the gifts to Teira's. Now that his heritage wasn't as secret as he might have liked, he just smoked over to the apartment, and plopped down on the sofa beside me, Teira and Javar's jaws wide open. "How did he...? Why is he...?" It seemed that neither of them could finish their sentences at this point, not that I could blame them. Sorel dismissed their stuttering with a wave and a "PRESENTS!"

He tore into my gift with as much vigor as Tetra had, pulling off the paper as though it were hot, and would burn his fingers if he held it for more than a couple of seconds. I laughed and joined him, just not as enthusiastically. I really don't think it was possible to match that.

Teira and Javar, no longer dumbstruck, began to tear into their gifts too, until she reached my present. Inside was a little glass figure and a note. _I thought that the cats would be disappointed if someone didn't own them. _The glass figurinewas of fifteen cats, all of various colors and appearance, with a little plaque under their little bodies reading their names. The names all varied but with the word "Tibbles" in it somewhere, from Mr. Tibbles to Auntie Tibbles, to Second Cousin Tibbles. Teira stared at it open-mouthed for a second, then burst out laughing. "Where did you find this?"

"I made it. Magic, remember?"

"Oh. Right." She stopped laughing and resumed opening presents.

Sorel's gift to me was amazing. It was a book about the customs of the nymphs and their connection to the Kerya. Tetra didn't receive this gift as well as I did, though. "A book? You got her a _book _for Christmas?!"

I laughed and thanked Sorel. "Just what I needed. I was curious about this anyway."

"You're welcome. Couldn't have an angel thirsting for knowledge, now could I?"

"Right you are." He tore into his present from me, and looked puzzled for a second.

"What is it?" He tipped his head to the side, trying to look at it from a different angle.

I righted it and laughed. "It's a communicator, silly. You don't need to call my cell phone anymore. This little thing absorbs into your skin, and you can talk to me or anyone else anytime."

"Is this supposed to be a plot to get me to talk to my father? I won't do it, you know." He sounded serious for once, and it worried me.

"It wasn't, but why are you so angry at your father? What did he do to make you like this?"

"I'll explain later, but right now..." He paused for dramatic effect. "...PRESENTS!!"

He tore into them again, and laughed when he unwrapped my other gift, a pair of jeans. "I'm guessing you're trying to tell me something." He chuckled.

"Yeah, wear long pants. It's cold."

"Yes, mother." Ugh, another name I hated.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Hangovers, Dreams, and More Problems

Tetra

Ugh. I shouldn't have eaten that much last night. I placed a slightly cold hand on my swelled stomach, and brushed a lock of Eira's hair out of her face. I could hear Sorel in the kitchen, probably making some kind of large, celebration-type meal. One that there was no way that I could stuff into my already objecting stomach. I groaned loudly and untangled myself from the mass of covers and pillows that marked where Eira had buried herself, drunk, last night. Sorel had challenged her to a drinking contest, which she won easily. Unexpectantly, Sorel is a lightweight, even with the fabled tales of nymph's wild parties. Eira drank him right out of the water until he was so buzzed that he could barely blink without going cross-eyed. Eira groaned, and I placed a light kiss on her brow-line. She stirred slightly, muttering "Don't think so loud."

I laughed and pushed out of bed, thanking god that, for once, I was the responsible one. I opened the door from the master bedroom to the kitchen to find that it was not Sorel moving about, but rather a familiar black shadow skulking around in the darkness. "Lucas Nagiala. I see you're still in the habit of breaking into people's homes."

"You know nothing about this, boy, so don't assume that you do." His voice, cold and stolid, snapped at me.

"No, but I do know Eira. Better than I know myself. She doesn't want to see you. She doesn't want you in her life, and frankly, I don't either. You make her miserable, making me unhappy. I really don't like being unhappy." I crossed my arms on my chest, trying to look menacing.

"Nice speech, but I'm not here to be lectured to. Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Confusion blanketed my mind.

"What do you mean what? The damn Jewel of Aria! It's here somewhere, I can feel it!"

"The Jewel of Aria is in Attilica, and I'm not sure that you'd appreciate trying to take it from its protectors. A family of vampires, and they're not weak royals either."

"I'm not frightened of two vampires and a were-Pomeranian."

"You should be."

"Brave words. Besides, it's not in Attilica. Not anymore."

"What do you mean? It's a rock! Don't you think that someone would notice an enormous jewel being moved over the border and tell them?"

"It's not a rock."

"What do you mean its not a rock?"

"Exactly that. The Jewel of Aria is not a jewel at all. It's a person. A female. My daughter, to be exact."

I looked at the door to the master bedroom. Eira, the Jewel of Aria? It couldn't be! She was a living, breathing person.

"But..."

"Yes, its true. The legends were misinterpreted. The Jewel of Aria, the one everyone's been waiting for, is really Eira. Not a gemstone, but a human being, capable of thought and speech. Hasn't she ever wondered why she has the ability to speak a language without ever hearing it before? The Jewel is able to speak all languages, even telepathically, see the future, and to see into the minds of others for malice or falsities. It was believed that by simply holding the Jewel to one's eyes that you were able to do this. Now we realize that Eira would have to be used to do this in its stead. You need to get her to a safe place swiftly!"

"But the wedding is in less than two months!"

"There are those that would try to kill her. Would you prefer her dead or not being surrounded by family? Take her to the dragons. They will shelter her there but only for a short time. After the wedding, head to the nymphs. Take Sorel, Teira, Javar and the baby. They will all be welcome with the Jewel. They would be tortured if they stay."

"What about Kick?"I asked, thinking of the other member of the wedding party.

"Kickard will not be bothered. He and his wife will not know where you are, and there is no knowledge that they are affiliated with you on a personal level. Take care of my children. They are all I have left." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked swiftly out the door.

"Geez, drama king." I walked back through the door to wake Drunken Beauty.

She was spread out on the bed, her golden hair fanned out under her, her mouth slightly open, her hands under one cheek as she laid on one hip, begging me to lay behind her. So I did. I kissed behind her ear, and trailed down her neck, trying to wake her up. She swatted at me. I smiled, and released my vampire fangs. I wasn't hungry, having fed only a few hours before from the beautiful jewel laid out in front of me. Gods, that was a lot of information to swallow. I slid my teeth into her neck gently, savoring the feel of possession that overcame me. She moaned, and pressed her hips deeper into my own. I pulled out my teeth in favor for my tongue to catch the small amount of blood that escaped the wound. She moaned again, and turned to face me, her usual sky blue eyes going dark with emotion. She aggressively pulled my head down to meet her lips, which proceeded to devour me. My body went up in flames, and I pulled her closer than I thought was even possible. She responded instantly, putting one hand on my chest and the other in my hair. I groaned, this ordinary occurrence quickly pushing me to my limits. I started to push her away, before we started doing something I knew that she would want to do. Damn if it didn't take all of my willpower and love to do it though. She made a sound that could only be described as a whimper, and pulled me back. I didn't want to take advantage of her in her fragile state, so I pushed myself off the bed, and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"I love you, Tetra." Her soft voice penetrated the roaring in my ears.

"I love you too. Now get up so we can go see the baby, then we're going on a surprise trip."

"To where?" She sat up, and I could still see the dark blue of her eyes, only they were rimmed in curiosity.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

"No. I'm going to get changed." I turned to walk out of the room. "Tetra?"

I turned again to face her. "Yes?"

"Thanks."

"Hey, no problem. I reserve no responsibility for my actions in two months though."

The look on her face was one of relief and humiliation as I closed the door.

Eira

I could have smacked myself. I had been so very close to breaking my vow, something I would hate myself for. It's just that the things he does to me... I ran a hand through my hair and pressed down on the headache I could feel developing at the back of my skull. Gods, I'm so stupid. There's less than two months to my wedding, and here I am willing to give up the very thing that it had been my goal to achieve all of my life. And, oh, had I been willing. Damn it!

I picked myself up to change my clothes, and fell back down again almost instantaneously. How much did I drink last night? I tried it again, using the night stand as support. I managed to stay up this time, but just barely. I changed quickly, regretting the choice to accept Sorel's challenge. I mentally cursed the nymph prince, and if I had it my way, the throne would halt at him.

I staggered out of the master bedroom to where Tetra was leaning against the counter, looking out the window to the city's landscape. How I loved to look out that window. The city set itself out in the most appealing way, teasing the eye with lights that sent your gaze everywhere at one time. The buildings loomed ominously, casting a foreboding air over the rest of the fairly small town. I tripped my way over to the vampire, and used his body as support to hold myself up.

"I see someone is starting to feel the effects of her actions." He smirked and I wanted to wipe it off his face one of two ways.

"I don't know whether to slap or kiss you right now."

"Ooh. Can I pick?" He asked with a boyish grin on his face.

I ignored him, and guided myself to the fridge with the assistance of the counter. Pulling out a bottle of mineral water, I popped an aspirin into my open mouth and gulped a large quantity into my mouth. The aspirin slid down my throat with ease, and the water cooled the overheated organ that was my throat.

The obnoxious noise that was my fiancee moved one cool hand to my waist, and I gasped from the contact. His hands were cold, and I wanted to smack the smile off his face.

"You are so lucky all I can do is glare at you right now." I did as promised, and moved a hand to my head. "Ow."

He laughed, and the sound reverberated through my head, bouncing off the nerve endings made sensitive by my over drinking.

I stumbled back into the bedroom, and laid down in the dark until the aspirin kicked in.

When I finally felt human again, I walked calmly out of the living room, and smacked Sorel soundly on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked.

"For giving me a headache."

"So you give me one of my own?"

"It'll be more than just your head if you don't stop."

He quieted immediately, and I sat down in my favorite armchair. I rubbed my temples and waited for Tetra to get out of the shower.

When he finally did, I scurried in there as fast as possible, hoping to avoid a confrontation like the one in the bedroom earlier.

I turned on the water and tested it against my hand. It was still too cold, so I sat down on the sink and breathed in the hot air still left over from Tetra's shower. I tested the water, which was still too cold. I must have waited for another ten or twelve minutes before determining one thing. "DAMN IT, TETRA! DID YOU HAVE TO USE ALL THE HOT WATER?!"

I heard his chuckling from the kitchen and I cursed again under my breath. I walked back out and smacked him soundly on the arm. "You are really obnoxious. Is this what it's going to be like living with you for the rest of my life?"

"Of course. And you know you love me."

"Unfortunately. Now you're going to have to be the one dealing with me smelling. It's all your fault." He swung an arm around my waist as I turned to walk away, and I pouted. "Hey, no fair. You ruined my exit."

"Life's not fair. Deal with it." He kissed me quickly and I pushed him away slowly.

"Being the merciful entity that I am, I'm going to allow you to heat the water."

He bowed low. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"You know it. Now go draw my bath, Jeeves."

I walked over to the couch and flopped down on top of Sorel. "And how are we feeling this morning?"

"Like shit and you know it. You really don't drink like a girl."

"And you don't drink like a nymph. Whatever happened to the stories of the parties lasting from dawn 'til dusk? Alcohol flowing from fountains to be drunken at your own risk, for nymph wine is the strongest in the land?"

"The nymph prince was locked up in his chambers for these parties, preferring books to the spasms and rude mannerisms of the drunken public." He said this in his haughtiest voice, and I resisted the urge to laugh, as that would only urge him on.

I put on a regal voice of my own. "It seems to me that the nymph prince was something of a nerd."

He smacked me lightly and shoved me onto the floor with as much care as possible. I plopped down on the chair that was opposite the couch so that I could talk to Sorel while actually looking at him. He smirked and I wanted to deck him. Not hard, but enough that I would relieve a little frustration. "My bath done yet, Jeeves?"

"No, Your Majesty. It's only been five seconds. Give me another thirty."

"Fine, but you owe me."

"Oooh. Do I get to choose the favor?"

"No. Now get me my hot water."

He bowed and walked out the door in a hunched position. I was tempted to burn the hair off of his head. I managed to control myself, however, and lit the pillow on fire.

Unfortunately, the only one in sight was the one under Sorel.

"What the-! Whoa!" He dematerialized swiftly and reappeared on the kitchen counter. "And you're trying to light me on fire–why?"

"Sorry. It was there. I lit it on fire. Get over it."

"Geez, someone's a bit moody today. Care to elaborate why?"

"Hmm...Tetra has a secret that he won't tell me, there's no hot water, I have an annoyingly cheerful morning person for a houseguest," I glared at the previously mentioned early bird. "and I have the hangover from hell. Any questions?"

Sorel blinked once, twice, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Gosh, I'd be in a bad mood too. And I'm not that cheerful."

"You are on the brink of mental-asylum cheerful. Now, make yourself useful and go see what's taking Tetra so long to get the hot water."

"Fine. But you owe me."

"Fine, but I get to choose the favor." I said, sounding like my fiancee too much for my liking.

"Doesn't work that way." He said, mimicking me.

"Sorel, you ever dealt with a PMS Kerya?"

"No, can't say I have."

"Well it's a real bitch, as you're very close to finding out. Now go!"

He grumbled and groaned down the hallway as I swung my feet up onto one arm of the couch and leaned my head onto the pillow propped against the other. Sighing, I closed my eyes and rubbed my throbbing temples. "How did I allow myself to drink this much?" I opened my eyes a crack.

"Because you wanted to show Sorel he wasn't the only heavy drinker in the place." Tetra came into the room carrying a rag, which he was wiping his hands on.

"Next time, stop me. I've proved my point. In excess."

"That you did, hun, that you did."

I opened my eyes fully this time and swung up onto my knees. "Do we have hot water now?"

"That we do. You may now bathe, Your Majesty."

"Don't push your luck, Jeeves."

"Wouldn't dream of it, my love."

"That's better."

I half-walked, half-jogged to the bathroom, where plush white towels and a bottle of bubble bath awaited me. I stuck my head back out. "Tetra?"

"Enjoy your bath. Sorel and I are going out for some pizza. We ate all your food."

"Thank you."

"You had a rough night. Now, would you like onions on your pizza?"

I made a face at him even though I knew he was joking. "Ewww. Gross. You know what I like. Just pick me up a slice."

"Anchovies it is."

"Fine, but you're the one that has to kiss me."

"Don't think I don't have that one in mind. I'll pick you up a piece of bacon."

"Please and thank you." I ducked my head back inside and started the taps. Remembering something, I yelled out the door to them. "Don't get kidnaped! I'm not coming after you in a bath towel!"

The door swung open, and Tetra walked in. "That would be a sight to see."

Before I could protest the invasion of privacy or the obvious lock-picking, he pecked me on the lips, whispered "be back in an hour" in my ear, and was out the door again.

I sighed again and closed the door. I stripped and sank into the tub, mumbling, "That whole bat ears thing will get really old really fast."

"Yes it will." His cheery voice rang out from behind the door. I threw a bar of soap at it, hitting the knob.

Tetra

As soon as we were out the door of the apartment, I nudged Sorel to the side. "We have to get out of here. Today. We're going to get Teira, Javar, and Jasmine packed up, then we're going to meet the dragons at the Isis Garden. Ishiomara managed to get the barrier to open especially for us at noon. If we don't make it, we're probably going to end up in a ditch somewhere with our throats cut. Eira doesn't know she's in danger, but the peril is high."

"But...why?" He asked, his eyes full of panic.

"Eira is the Jewel of Aria. If someone finds out she's the Jewel, they'll want her either for themselves or slaughtered so that she can't fall into the wrong hands. I don't know about you, but I want her to live to see the wedding she's been planning for months."

"Fine. I'll get us to Teira and family as soon as possible. But hold on tight. The whole smoke thing is a little bit weird."

"I'm sure I can handle it."

"Whatever you say." He disappeared in a puff of smoke, and I suddenly found myself displaced from my feet and lifted into the air with no force pushing me up, just the swirling gray mists.

"You know, this is really, really...different."

"I told you." The puff of smoke developed what appeared to be a gray mouth.

"That's not helping." I watched the ground disappear below my feet and we were suddenly in the air over Tiaren Park.

"Welcome to the Sorel Express. Please keep all hands, feet, and other appendages out of what may appear to be sensitive areas of smoke. I may be of a gaseous form, but I can still feel. For example, your thumb is currently digging into my throat. It would be much appreciated to be moved. Thank you for flying Sorel Air, and please lose your lunch to the left side if it is absolutely necessary."

I chuckled and moved my thumb. Still apprehensive of my current predicament, I situated myself in the cloud of Sorel smoke so that my body would not protrude into any particularly nerve-filled positions.

"Much appreciated." The grey mouth spoke again. "Don't look down, I'm going to gain more altitude."

Of course, whenever someone says that, you just have to look. It's a subconscious compulsion. So, when my head dipped down and viewed the ground rapidly falling and the buildings and trees became little dots, I suddenly found myself nauseous and unable to keep down the breakfast I had so easily consumed that morning.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." I pronounced to the cloud that had once been one of my best friends.

"Oh shush up, you big baby."

"I am not a baby." A wave of nausea hit me hard. I clutched my stomach and hurled over the left side of the cloud.

"Baby." Sorel said decisively.

Too preoccupied to respond, I let it go for a moment. I wiped my mouth and then muttered, "Shut up."

About ten minutes later, we were at the door to Teira and Javar's apartment and Sorel had regained his substantial form. "Let me do all the talking." I whispered to Sorel after ringing the bell and pounding on the door.

Teira opened the door with the baby in her arms. "Hey Tetra. Is something the matter?"

"Nope. Not at all. Just pack everything you and your family will need, and be at the Isis Garden in an hour."

"Why?"

"Because I said to. That's why."

"Real smooth." Sorel whispered in my ear.

"Shut up, Smoke Boy."

"That's PRINCE Smoke Boy to you."

"You weren't so keen on the whole prince thing until Eira saved your royal butt."

"My royal butt wasn't what got us into this mess."

"No, that would be the fact that there is a danger to my fiancee that I'm not going to put up with. Now shut your mouth and get ready to go."

Sorel pouted and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now why couldn't he do that before?" I muttered under my breath as Teira opened the door with Jasmine cuddled up in her carrier with a thick fur blanket.

"Well, we're ready. How about you?"

"Where's Javar?"

"He's at work right now, but he'll be back."

"Well, we'll have to get him and have him disappear for a while."

"He can't do that. He'll get fired."

"Listen to me!" My voice rose on its own. "He either loses his job or his life! Make your choice. He needs to either get out of town or get out of the world of the living."

She shivered hard. "I'll call him now. But what's going on? I have as much a right to known as you do."

"It's safer if you don't know."

"The hell it is. My _family _is involved now. You, Eira, Javar, even Sorel. You are my family, and you're in danger! You have to let me know."

"I promise you I will fill you in as soon as we are safe. Please trust me." I held up a hand when she opened her mouth to argue. "Please. Eira doesn't even know yet. She's in the most danger, and she's even further in the dark than you. Just please get Javar, Jasmine and yourself over to the willow we blew up in the Isis Garden and wait for us there. If you see someone approaching that you don't know, don't hesitate to take Jasmine and run. Tell Javar to teleport. Sorel will meet you there."She gave me a martyred sigh and nodded, heading in the direction of the magic supply shop where Javar worked as a helper. Finally convinced that my family would be safe, I headed on foot back to the person who meant the most to me with my hands in my pockets and my eyes darting from side to side, looking for anyone that might mean me harm.

Eira

The hot water that I had started out with was now cold, and I was starting to shiver. I could have heated up the water with a word, but I decided that my poor toes had endured enough pruning. With a long-suffering sigh, I lifted myself out of the tub and wrapped up in the plush, fluffy towel that Tetra had set out for me. Finally warm, I stepped out into the empty apartment and frowned. Where were they? They should have been back by now. Just as the thought crossed my mind, Tetra opened the door with a lost expression on his face and held out his arms. Without thinking, I curled myself up in them and let the smell of him invade my senses, all the while wondering what he was thinking.

He stroked my back lightly and I remembered what I was wearing. Blushing from hairline to toes, I unwrapped myself from his arms gently and scurried into the bedroom to get dressed.

Just as I was finished pulling on my tank top, Tetra walked through the door, the same expression on his face. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Come here, you." He held out his arms again.

I folded myself back into the warmth of his embrace and buried my face in his shoulder. "There's something wrong. I know you better than that. Please tell me." My voice sounded weak to my own ears, muffled by his shoulder. "If you regret this at all, I understand. If you want out–"

"Honey, I don't want out. Do you honestly think I don't want to marry you? I will never love another woman again. Not after you. Alright?"

I sighed against his shoulder. "All right. Just making sure. You seem different. Like you're holding something back from me. But that's ridiculous. I'm assuming again. I'll stop now."

He chuckled. "You talk a lot when you're nervous."

"And you're annoying when you're being secretive."

He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine in feather-light kisses until I finally got tired of the torment and grabbed the back of his head with my free hand. The other was already pulling him closer to me. His tongue swept across my lower lip and I opened my mouth on a moan. Almost as fast as his taste filled my senses, he was gone.

"Come on, you. We need to get this done and can't do it while we're distracted. Even if they're delicious distractions." He sighed, and I turned around to go into the living room. He pinched my butt playfully and I swatted him on the arm.

"Wait a sec. You said we had to get _this_ done. What is this?" I asked.

"Just a little packing. Ishiomara invited us to come visit and got the barrier to open for today."

"You're just telling me this _now_!? I can't possibly pack that quickly! And what about the wedding?"

"The wedding will be there. Just calm down, okay? I have it taken care of."

I sighed. I would have to trust him. There was too much riding on this for me not to. "Fine. I'll get packing. You go get your clothes from your apartment while I get finished. Now, shoo."

"I want you to come with me to help pack, or I'll never get my bag closed." He smiled.

I grinned. "Can I go nowhere without you?"

He grabbed me by the waist suddenly. He kissed me with so much passion, the fire sprinklers almost went off. "Why would you ever want to?"

I tried to catch my breath and failed miserably. "I'm starting to wonder that myself."

He grinned and went to grab a soda from the fridge. I threw all my clothes in the suitcases Ishiomara had given me. Unfortunately, that involved more work than it sounded like it would. When Tetra walked back into the room, I was jumping on the suitcases. Laughing, he helped by sitting on it while I tried to buckle it.

"Thanks." I brushed off the top of the suitcase and flopped down onto the bed. Tetra pretended to roll off of the case and onto me. I let out an exaggerated grunt and a giggle.

"Get off of me, fatty." I tried to push him off of me lightly, without really trying.

"Fatty, am I? Fatty?" He slid a hand down my body to my stomach.

"Yes, yes you are." I laughed up at him.

He began tickling me mercilessly. I thrashed under him, pressing us further together. Tetra sucked in a breath and kissed me thirstily.

After a few minutes of indulgence, I pushed lightly on his shoulders and withdrew my tongue. He chuckled and rolled off to lay beside me, clasping my hand tightly. "We'd better get going. Teira and Javar aren't going to appreciate us making them wait." He kissed me once more on the cheek before leaving the room. I sighed and grabbed the suitcase, dragging it behind me as I walked. I grabbed Tetra's hand with my free one, and we went off to his apartment.

That night, after we had safely crossed the border into Attilica, I sat in front of the fireplace in the room designated to me. Tetra walked into the room, and I looked up. His eyes looked heavy and he was carrying an extra pillow. "I couldn't sleep. Too much time holding you." He said with a smile.

I invited him to sit next to me on the floor. "I couldn't sleep either. Bad dreams." I said, curling myself into his arms like a cat.

"Hmm... Want to tell me about them?"

"Just stuff that gave me a creepy feeling. Nothing distinguishable yet."

"Oh, well, care to give it another shot?" He asked as he grabbed me under the knees and behind the neck, cradling me to his chest as he walked to the bed. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck as he laid down beside me.

"Good night, Tetra."

"Good night, my love. Sleep well." He kissed me on the forehead, and my eyelids fluttered shut.

_There were only the cold, dank, gray walls of the room to keep me company. A hard mattress lay in the corner, bolted and chained to the wall. A toilet and sink combination was standing in the opposite corner, drawing my attention from the sweat-stained and body-odor-smelling bed. There were bars on the solitary window that overlooked nothing but empty ocean. Seagulls soared in the sky over the large cliff, cawing out torments at me. _

_A single door was in the room, double-enforced metal with a small pane of glass and a slot with which to slide in meals. I sat on a bit of ground that didn't look too disgusting and stared at the door. Noone passed outside that pane of glass, noone passed my cell, noone came to break up the monotony of the room. I knew there was a reason that I was there, but the reason escaped me. I supposed that sooner or later someone would come to explain to me the purpose of my being locked in the gray room._

_I settled in to wait, refusing to look at the bed or toilet. A few marks on the wall drew my attention. 'Bitch,' 'whore,' and 'minx' were just a few of the slurs that were written on the wall, all of them orbiting around a single word ground into the gray paint. 'EIRA' was written there, and a shiver rolled down my spine._

_My life had apparently become gray, as there was no other emotion that went through me. No fear, no apprehension, no joy. There was no joy to be found in this room. Only hatred. I didn't even feel the hatred for myself, only the residual effects of it from the room's last occupant. _

_The hatred was centered on me, I knew instinctively. I didn't know what I had done to deserve such hatred, but it was there._

"_You know very well what you did to deserve it." A voice called out from beyond the pane of glass. A face was pressed against it, twisted and grotesque. Another joined it there, this one healthy and full. Faience._

"_What are you doing here, Faience?" I asked._

"_She's been kind enough to spring me, Bitch." The horrible face stated. "You're the one in my cell right now. Ironic, huh?"_

_I stared more intently at the face. "Auric?"_

"_That's right. You see what they did to me, Eira? You see the effects the beatings, the burnings, and the torture have done to me? That's what's going to happen to you, Whore. And I will take great pleasure in being the one to do it." Auric smiled gruesomely._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I'm coming for you, Eira. You and your 'prince.' You're all going to die. You, Tetra, Teira, Jasmine, Javar, and that smug bastard Sorel. I'm going to kill you with my bare hands. You're blood will stain my hands, and mine alone. Faience has been good enough to give me all the information all I need to come after you. And I intend to. You won't live to see your wedding." He smirked again, and the gray walls melted away as consciousness returned to me. The last thing I saw as that grotesque smile, scorn radiating off of it._

I woke up with tears on my eyes, a cold sweat having broken out over my body. I clung to Tetra tightly, who woke up when I flung myself on him. "Shhhh..." He comforted. "It's okay. It was just a dream."

The only thing is...I wasn't sure that it was.

To be Continued?


	22. Aleiansha Translations

Aleiansha, The Ancient Language

_Beir_ _Atrica Pired- _Be at peace.

_Drietna, und fervera._-sleep, and forget.

_Feindilt_ _Sumoft_, _Heirf Merand_-Find someone, help me.

_Fuerta thoerca iena arboca, lesuth iena toinieis ortioia, lestio murito poxeh arsia tri rias iola actoyna tri rekanu flonia losimo irotono brelk._- From whence it came, let it reside there, and take upon itself the task of removing the strength from its users body.

_Gerato_ _Muleit_-Great Mother.

_Gierat-_Grow.

_Girent, reterno ola-_Greetings, respected one.

_Hejira Tierra_-be healed.

_Herasha Luenta_-holy land

_Hrethen- _hello.

_Hurilsate_-natural knowledge.

_Hurilsater_-One who knows naturally.

_Piero, Lepus Merand- _Poison, leave me.

_Steren, iunster olas. Dernst minst. Sirunden yiew wioma_-stop

insolent ones. Don't move. Surrender your weapons.

_Thiourea Mandift Hinslet_ - my dear friend, pass peacefully.

_Tiatra, reterno ola._-Thank you, respected one.

_Oly wre dilect-_ One who will deliver. (Eira's elven title)


End file.
